COVID 19 Procedures

Every residential student has a vital role to play in reducing the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and keeping our campus community safe. The good news is that you’re probably already familiar with these simple actions that can greatly reduce transmission of the virus.

This Addendum reflects changes to the Guide to Campus Living and outlines expectations of residents due to the current status of COVID-19. Please understand that as the pandemic evolves, Residential Life and Housing may need to make additional changes to our Campus Community Guidelines. Included here are the Guide to Campus Living and expectations for general health and safety for on campus living. Similar to all other rules and regulations, you are expected to comply with those outlined in this document; failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. Should the University, Residential Life and Housing, are the City of Huntsville’s guidelines change, Residential Life and Housing/ the University will provide updates and notify residents of changes in the required protocol

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including those outlined on this page, you should contact AAMU Student Health Center (256.372.5800) as soon as possible for additional guidance. If you test positive for COVID-19, or are told by a healthcare provider that you are presumed positive for the virus, please notify Residential Life and Housing /or the Student Health and Counseling Center.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have reported mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell

Keep in mind these health and safety tips: - Avoid contact with people who are sick.

• Avoid using elevators if possible.
• Practice physical distancing at all times.
• Wash your hands regularly, particularly after touching common surfaces.
• If you do not have access to soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Wear face coverings.

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Alabama A&M University will use the key public health tools known as isolation and quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the campus community. Because there is typically little time to prepare for isolation or quarantine when instructed to do so, AAMU Residential Life and Housing has developed this planning guide to help students prepare to isolate or quarantine. This guide is for students who live on campus as well as students who live off-campus.

What is the difference between isolation and quarantine?

Isolation

Isolation is the separation of someone who is ill with or has tested positive for COVID-19 from people who are not sick. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 typically isolate for at least 10 days (the duration of the infective period) from the time they are tested or symptoms first appear but could be isolated for longer periods if symptoms persist. Students in on-campus housing must be relocated from their residence hall room during isolation to minimize the risk of spread to peers in their hall.

Quarantine

Quarantine is the separation of someone exposed to a COVID-positive individual from those who are not sick or exposed, in case the exposed person becomes sick or tests positive for COVID-19. A typical quarantine period lasts 14 days (the duration of the incubation period). Students in on-campus housing must be relocated from their residence hall room during isolation to minimize the risk of spread to peers in their hall.

Do I need a plan for isolation and quarantine?

All students living on campus should have an isolation and quarantine plan. We recommend that students who can travel safely in a private vehicle conduct their period of isolation in their home. For all other students, AAMU Residential Life and Housing has identified isolation and quarantine spaces.

During quarantine or isolation (QI) on campus, meals will be delivered daily, and all other campus services are accessible to students virtually. Ongoing telehealth visits and virtual check-ins will be conducted by staff of the Student Health and Counseling Center. 

All students living off-campus are strongly encouraged to have an isolation and quarantine plan. AAMU will not provide isolation or quarantine housing or meal service for off-campus students or those who have remained in their permanent residence. Campus support services will be available virtually.

How will I be supported if I am in isolation or quarantine?

Telehealth visits will be available through the Student Health Center. Students should call 911 for any life-threatening emergencies_; when calling, please inform the dispatcher that you are in isolation or quarantine.

A variety of peer and staff-led supports are available for students in isolation and quarantine:

The Student Health and Counseling Center is available to provide mental health resources and counseling services Students can request an appointment by (256) 372-5800 between the hours of 8-5 pm, Monday-Friday.

We recognize that this is an anxiety-provoking time and we encourage students and members of the AAMU community to reach out to friends, family, or colleagues during this time. It is encouraged to do so by phone or online to promote social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

How do I prepare for isolation or quarantine?

Communicate With Your Family/Support System

Discuss the following with your family before being placed in quarantine/isolation:

• With consideration to known health and mental health factors, have you considered the impact of potential on- or off-campus isolation/quarantine on your physical and emotional wellness?
• In anticipation of possible quarantine/isolation, or potential campus closure, have you considered packing light for the Fall 2021 semester?
• If you live within driving distance, are you be able to return home in a private vehicle? If you are instructed to isolate or quarantine, you cannot travel on any public transportation (bus, train, plane, Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.) as you may expose others.
• If someone from your family plans to pick you up from campus to take you home to isolate or quarantine, how much time will they need to arrive—hours or even a day or two?
• Are you able to distance yourself from others in your home to keep other family members safe?
• For students not in on-campus housing: If you cannot isolate or quarantine at home, do you have an alternate location where you can conduct isolation/ quarantine?
• If you must quarantine/isolate on campus (or the location designated by the college), how will you maintain your emotional and physical wellness?
• Do you have a thorough working knowledge of your health insurance policy?
• Have you fully considered all Fall 2021 alternatives and implications associated with each as they relate to isolation/quarantine (i.e., remaining home to study online, commuting, on-campus housing)?

Assemble a Bulldog-Kit

If you are asked to isolate by the Student Health Center or the Department of Health, you will not be able to leave your isolation or quarantine space during isolation/quarantine. To prepare for this, assemble a Bulldog-Kit before you are asked to quarantine/isolate.

AAMU will provide 2 disposable masks, sanitizing wipes, meal delivery, some self-care medications, and the use of a digital thermometer, if needed.  There will also be a refrigerator provided for reheating and preserving food delivered by AAMU Dining.

Supplies for Your AAMU Bulldog-Kit

• Self-care medications: Pack fever/pain reducers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin). Do not use multi-symptom medications in combination with these, as it can be easy to take too much. You may want lozenges for sore throats or cough medications.
• Prescription Medications: Pack several days’ worth of any prescription medications you need. Speak with your provider about how you would access medications if you are in isolation/quarantine.
• Comfort Food: Pack your favorite comfort snacks and drinks, along with a reusable water bottle. Although the college will ensure meals are delivered to those isolating or quarantining on campus, your favorite snacks can sometimes provide comfort. Off-campus students should maintain a supply of food at home and be knowledgeable about ordering food delivery from their local grocery store.
• Comfortable Clothes: Pack a few days’ worth of comfortable clothes, including two weeks’ worth of undergarments. Don’t forget your favorite sweatshirt or robe, and slippers.
• Hygiene Supplies: Pack shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, feminine products, etc.
• Pillow, towels, bed linens and favorite blanket
• Phone Charger
• Self-care items to support your overall well-being: art supplies, puzzles, crafts, playing cards, portable exercise equipment (like fitness bands, hand weights, or yoga mat), books, etc.

In addition to your Bulldog-Kit, you should ensure your academic materials (laptop, books, etc.) should be readily acces­sible to be taken with you.

 

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• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines physical distancing as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance — approximately 6 feet or 2 meters — from others when possible.”
• Members of the campus community are expected to maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from others when possible.
• Many campus buildings and spaces now have visible reminders encouraging physical distancing, such as floor tape and markers indicating 6 feet of distance, rearranged furniture, and signs indicating traffic flow. Please follow the signs directing traffic flow through building entrances, exits, elevators, stairs, and other common areas.
• When you are in your own room/suite/apartment, limit the number of individuals in one area to maximize physical distance at all times.
• Avoid using elevators if you can. If you must use an elevator, limit the number of riders to no more than 2 whenever possible.
• If you do need to be among and around other people, avoid hand-shaking, high-fives, and other greetings that require direct physical human contact.

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• Residential common areas include building or community study rooms, lounges, laundry rooms, and lobby areas.
• Maximum occupancy in these spaces have been reduced (a maximum of 10 people) in order to allow for physical distancing. Check for signs indicating the revised occupancy number.
•  Residents are required to maintain 6 feet of physical distance and wear face masks when using these facilities.
• Common areas will be sanitized by the Aramark cleaning staff on a regular basis, but it is recommended that residents wash their hands frequently, including before and after using spaces like laundry rooms and lobby areas.

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For the health and safety of all students living in each residence hall/apartment community, residents Will NOT be allowed any outside visitors. Only students who live in the residence hall/apartment community will have access to their own hall/apartment unit. This guideline change is temporary and will be reviewed throughout the year in consultation with AAMU administration and medical professionals.  If a student is found to have violated the visitation guidelines for COVID 19, he/she will be dismissed from housing.Back to Top

A temporary residential curfew will  NOT be enforced at this time. However, this guideline change is temporary and will be reviewed throughout the year in consultation with AAMU administration and medical professionals.  

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All package delivery to Normal Hills will need to be delivered directly to a students’ unit. The housing office Will Not accept any type of mail/ package delivery from DHL, FEDEX, UPS, or USPS.

For all other residence halls, we suggest using UPS as your preferred shipper in delivering your packages.

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To comply with The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines, as well as the city of Huntsville orders, all students, faculty, staff, and visitors are required to wear a mask of face covering in on-campus facilities. On-campus residents must wear a mask or face covering until entering their own room or apartment.

All AAMU students and employees should carry a mask or face covering with them at all times when on-campus. 

The University will provide 1 (one) face covering, please bring 3-4 additional coverings in the following colors: grey, maroon or black, only.   

Please help protect yourself and others.

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If a student is sick, they should remain in their room and contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at 256-372-5800 during regular business hours.  If it is after hours, the student needs to contact 256-425-4201.  For counseling after hours, the student should contact 256-372-4554.  

We encourage all students to follow basic infection prevention precautions such as hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, wearing a mask when leaving the room, and staying at home/residence hall when sick.

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 All residents are required to clean their own bathrooms, as well as their apartment common areas (living rooms, kitchens, hallways, etc.). This includes sweeping, mopping and wiping down surfaces with approved disinfectant cleaners on a regular basis. Residents in traditional halls bathrooms will be maintained by Aramark. However, we ask that everyone help maintain their area for cleanliness. 

• All residents are required to provide their own cleaning supplies.
• Aramark will regularly clean communal spaces (lounges, lobbies, elevators) in all residential buildings.
• Remember to wash your hands prior to and after preparing any food. Clean and disinfect food preparation and cooking surfaces immediately after use.
• When returning from a shopping trip, it is recommended to place all grocery bags on the floor, as opposed to the counters.

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• The CDC recommends washing clothes in the warmest appropriate water setting and drying them completely. Clean and disinfect your clothing hampers weekly.
• Do not shake out dirty clothes onto the floor or elsewhere to avoid distributing germs into the atmosphere.
• Reusable cloth face coverings should be washing regularly, per manufacturer’s instructions
• Hand should be washed immediately after handling dirty laundry.

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Maintaining a safe and healthy environment is a shared responsibility. We must all do our part to make sure that we protect ourselves and our fellow Bulldogs. Stay informed by frequently checking your AAMU student email for news from the University. For the latest updates from AAMU, visit https://www.aamu.edu/campus-life/student-support/health-services/coronavirus/index.html

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