Feel Well, Do Well: Health & Safety
The health and safety of our community is our top priority as we adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we must all recognize that this is a shared responsibility as members of the Barnard community.
Barnard's Pandemic Response Team provides expertise and sustained focus on health and safety and support faculty, staff, and students in partnership with other areas within the College and university.
For more information on Covid-related processes, please visit Barnard's Covid documentation website.
The Feel Well, Do Well: Health & Safety plan requires:
- Self-screening. Mandatory remote screening procedure to monitor health conditions of members of the community, allowing for appropriate actions to be taken should infection be detected.
- Testing and contact tracing. Testing plan and contact tracing program to isolate infections via both symptomatic and asymptomatic testing, as well as to monitor for potential spread.
- Face masks/coverings. Well-fitting masks of the highest grade possible (surgical masks, N95, KN95) must be worn indoors except if alone. Masks are provided if needed.
- Good hygiene. Emphasis on handwashing. Hand sanitizer will also be made available throughout campus facilities.
- Maintaining physical distancing. All members of the campus community will comply with the College's requirements and CDC guidelines around distancing wherever possible.
- Staying in if you feel ill. Faculty, staff, and students who feel sick are to stay home, even if their symptoms are inconsistent with common COVID-19 symptoms.
- Proof of COVID-19 and Booster vaccinations. Beginning in Fall 2021, all members of the Barnard community are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination(primary COVID-19 vaccine series), unless they have an approved exemption. All members of the Barnard community are also required to have a booster vaccination, and show proof by January 10 or as soon as they are eligible.
- Flu shots. All members of the campus community must fulfill the College’s flu vaccination requirements.
- Community pledge. Community members must continue to adhere to community expectations established through a community pledge that emphasizes the responsibility of every member of the community in helping to maintain a safe campus environment by complying with all federal, state and local requirements and Barnard COVID-19 policies.
Maintaining a Safe Environment
Hygiene and Cleaning
Hygiene is an important layer of safety and it is important for all members of the community to wash their hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, and to exhibit good habits related to cleaning.
- Faculty and staff should use the SUPPLY FORM to request any cleaning supplies for offices or other areas.
- Facilities are cleaning public bathrooms and high-touch spaces such as lobbies, elevators, and door handles three times per day. All other spaces are cleaned once per day. Cleaning includes disinfection as well as new procedures and products related to COVID-19.
- Facilities are not cleaning the interiors of offices, and will not enter office suites, unless specifically directed and authorized.
- Hand sanitizer stations have been deployed across campus.
Masking
Masks are required on campus indoors, except if in a space alone. Masking is not required outdoors for those who are vaccinated though some outdoor large gatherings may require masking for all. The College will provide face masks to all students, staff and faculty on an as-needed basis. Faculty and staff should use the supply form to request any PPE for their work on campus. Community members should avoid cloth masks and wear well-fitting masks of the highest grade possible (surgical masks, N95, KN95).
Ventilation
Improvements have been made to the College’s ventilation systems. It is important to note that ventilation upgrades are not a stand-alone means to assure safety, but are one of the layers that work to reduce risk.
- The College hired an outside engineering consultant, CFS Facilities Management, who reviewed and assessed the air handling systems and opportunities for upgrade.
- Improvements and upgrades include increasing the proportion of outside air delivered to the space and increasing filtration effectiveness. In some locations, additional stand-alone filtration units or ultraviolet lights have been placed.
- Windows in many locations have been made operable where they previously had been sealed shut, with the accompanying installation of proper window guards.
- Staff/faculty should contact Facilities at facilities@barnard.edu with specific questions and concerns related to ventilation.
Health & Wellness Resources for Students
Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard empowers our students with health and wellness knowledge through coordinated campaigns and programs. During these unprecedented times, this campus-wide initiative is at the heart of health and safety. In addition to the guidance and procedures that will be shared through this website on an ongoing basis, the following are key resources for students:
212-854-2091 (available 9-5 p.m.); after-hours clinician on call: 855-622-1903; Primary Care Health Services
212-854-2092; Furman Counseling Center
Questions about COVID-19 testing?
Email: covidtesting@barnard.edu
Quarantine/Isolation Team
Email: qisupport@barnard.edu
212-854-3362 (available 24/7)
Health Ambassador Program
Mission
The Barnard Health Ambassadors (BHAs) cultivate community and educate peers, promoting a healthy campus experience for all. The three pillars of the program include:
- Community
- Health
- Awareness/Promotion
Who are the BHAs?
The Barnard Health Ambassadors are undergraduate students who serve as visible public health ambassadors available on campus to encourage our Barnard community to engage in healthy behaviors related to COVID-19 and provide health and safety resources, such as masks and hand sanitizer.
It’s important—by following the Barnard Community Pledge, we’re all doing our part to reduce the risk of transmission for ourselves and others. This commitment reflects the extraordinary degree to which we’re dependent on each other to remain healthy individually and as a community.
For more information, contact BHA@barnard.edu.
What are the goals of the BHAs?
- To follow the COVID-19 reopening plan and regulations created by the College.
- To use peer to peer influence to encourage others to practice healthy behaviors, such as physical distancing as needed, wearing face masks/coverings, and regularly washing your hands and using hand sanitizer.
- To provide the campus community with public health resources, education, and representatives to answer COVID-19 related questions.
What are the responsibilities of an ambassador?
- Serve as a public health resource and provide information that supports the Barnard College COVID-19 campus plan.
- Act as a role model for healthy behaviors and practices on campus to limit the spread of COVID-19.
- Barnard Community encourages campus and government regulations. Encourage the use of face masks and coverings, physical distancing as needed, and proper hand hygiene.
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Provide supplies such as hand sanitizer, masks, and other wellness-related supplies to those who need them.
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Create health and wellness related programming and social media posts.
General Q+A
Please see the College’s Influenza Vaccine Policy, including the requirement that all staff, students, and faculty receive a flu shot and the process for faculty and staff to seek an exemption. The exemption form can be found here and should be submitted to hr@barnard.edu.
For more information on the critical importance of the flu vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit CDC Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2021-2022 Season.
It is safe to get both COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time. The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older, and reduces illness, hospitalizations, and death from the flu.
- Faculty & Administrative Staff: Please review the Pharmacy Directory for the Cigna plan. Faculty and staff are also able to get the seasonal flu shot at their local retail pharmacy. Vaccines are covered under your medical benefit with CIGNA and Emblem Health at no cost ($0) to you. Please email hr@barnard.edu if you have questions or require assistance.
- 2110 & TWU Staff: Emblem Health Members can go to a local CVS for in-pharmacy servicing, by showing their ID card. Please email hr@barnard.edu if you have questions or require assistance.
- Students: Off-campus appointments and walk-up opportunities for students can be found at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/
All faculty, students and staff accessing the Barnard campus are required to complete a daily symptom screening in the CoVerified app to acknowledge that they are feeling well and that they have not not knowingly been in contact with anyone could have been positive for COVID-19. The self-check app will provide users with a “green screen” that they will be asked to show when entering campus and will alert them to stay at home when a “red screen” appears.
All those accessing Columbia’s campus (faculty, students and staff) will need to complete the Columbia screening app ReopenCU, which is different from Barnard’s app.
You can find details about this PCR test on this fact sheet.
If you receive a “red screen,” do not come to campus. The following applies:
- If the red screen is in CoVerified, you will be contacted by a Barnard administrator with further questions and instructions.
- If the red screen is in ReopenCU, you should also input your information to CoVerified. A Barnard administrator will then be in touch.
Information about the College’s insurance plan can be found in Primary Care Health Services.
All medically necessary care for COVID-19 related illness is covered by the Aetna Student Health Insurance plan
For the Fall semester, Primary Care Health Service and Furman Counseling Center is open for all students. The Primary Care Health Service is located in the lower level of Brooks Hall and is open for clinical care during the academic year. We are closed for all College holidays. Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The Clinician On-Call service is for urgent medical advice for issues that arise when the PCHS is closed. It is not for routine or administrative questions that can be answered during regular PCHS business hours. Tel. 1-855-622-1903. For more information please see our Clinician On-Call page. Furman Counseling Center is open Monday - Thursday: 9 am to 5pm and pre-scheduled Evening hours: Mon - Thu: 5pm - 7pm. Friday: 9 am to 5 pm. they are closed on weekends and holidays. Refer to their website for how to schedule an appointment and about urgent concerns and after hours emergencies.
Quarantine & Isolation Q+A
COVID-19 symptoms might include
Fever (above 100.4°F) or chillsough;
shortness of breath or difficulty; breathing
fatigue
muscle or body aches
headache
new loss of taste or smell
sore throat;
congestion or runny nose
nausea or vomiting
diarrhea
Students who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, should:
- Complete the symptom attestation in CoVerified
- Plan to stay in their residence hall room or off-campus non-residential living space until otherwise advised by the Pandemic Response Team (PRT). Follow up from the PRT will be same-day, but may take several hours.
- As they wait to hear next steps, students should arrange with friends to have food or other needs supported via contactless delivery until it is confirmed that they do not have isolate. Symptomatic students should continue wearing masks in their indoor common spaces and roommates, suitemates, and other people in the residential spaces should be masked.
- Students who are not feeling well can always reach out to Primary Care Health Services (PCHS) to be evaluated and help with medical management.
Faculty and staff who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, even if mild, should:
- Complete the symptom attestation in CoVerified.
- Plan to stay home until otherwise advised by the Pandemic Response Team (PRT). Follow up from the PRT will be same-day, but may take several hours.
If you have a positive test result from Barnard testing:
You will be notified by a member of the Pandemic Response Team and will be given information about how to isolate and access to resources that can help you manage your isolation. PCHS will then stay in daily contact with any student in isolation.
If you have a positive test result from a test that you took somewhere else:
You should immediately isolate yourself and notify the College of your positive test result in CoVerified. You will be contacted by a member of the Pandemic Response Team and will be given information about how to isolate and access to resources that can help you manage your isolation.
Refer to the Pandemic Response Information mini-site for more detailed information.
Students who are currently living in campus residential housing will be moved to isolation rooms in suites reserved for this purpose in several buildings throughout campus.
Students not living in residential housing must manage their own quarantine and isolation arrangements.
As a fully vaccinated community member, you can continue to access campus as usual following close contact, as long as you do not have or develop any symptoms of COVID-19. You also do not need to report your close contact in CoVerified. We recommend testing on day 5 following close contact with a PCR test and monitoring for symptoms for a full 14 days. As always, please report any symptoms you do begin to notice in CoVerified. Otherwise, there is no additional action you need to take.
Quarantine is applicable for someone who:
- has had contact with someone who has a confirmed positive COVID-19 test or has contact with someone who has symptoms or an inconclusive Barnard test result.
Fully vaccinated people are exempt from quarantine as long as they remain asymptomatic; they are able to access campus, attend classes, and go about their daily lives without clearance from the Pandemic Response Team.
Isolation is applicable for someone who tests positive for COVID-19 or who has symptoms or an inconclusive Barnard test result.
Refer to the Do I Need to Isolate or Quarantine chart for more specific details.
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate for at least 10 days. Depending on circumstances, this can be shortened from the original 10-day period to the 5-day period as recommended by the CDC.
We have a team dedicated to supporting residential students in isolation. Refer to the Isolation and Quarantine Grid for more specific details and protocols. As of 4/23, students who are currently living in campus residential housing will students should prepare to recover in their housing assignments if they test positive and cannot isolate off-campus. Students who recover in place are instructed to minimize any time spent in the bathroom or other common areas. The College will continue to provide support to students in isolation and will offer high-quality masks and disinfecting wipes upon request.
Students not living in residential housing must manage their own quarantine and isolation arrangements.
Faculty are understanding of the fact that students may miss class due to a COVID-related reason and they will be flexible. If the instructor hasn't already built into their class a hybrid format, students should work with the instructor to come up with an individualized plan to make sure that they keep up with their classes. Refer to this Guide for Academic Continuity during Quarantine or Isolation Due to COVID-19.
The Q/I support team can answer any related questions. Please email qisupport@barnard.edu, and one of our case managers will respond shortly.