Feel Well, Do Well: Health & Safety

Image

In 2019, we launched Feel Well, Do Well, an initiative designed to make students’ health and wellness a college-wide endeavor, beyond just the Rosemary Furman Counseling Center and Primary Care Health Service. Although we did not know it at the time, starting a campus-wide conversation around health and wellness was a precursor to what we must ask of our community until an effective vaccine or treatment is found for COVID-19.

Barnard has created a Pandemic Response Team to provide expertise and sustained focus on health and safety and support faculty, staff, and students in partnership with other areas within the College and university.

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.

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. Disposable masks or cloth face coverings must be worn at all times in public settings (public spaces, meeting rooms, hallways, stairwells, elevators, classrooms, restrooms, etc.). Each faculty member and staff member will be provided with disposable masks as 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 New York State requirement to maintain at least 6 feet of distance wherever possible. Individuals should avoid gathering in groups and should stay out of crowded places.
• 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.
• 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 in Fall 2020 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. 

The College requires all students, faculty and staff to acknowledge in writing and adhere to a Community Pledge. With this commitment, everyone promises to abide by a set of rules for behavior on campus. These include requirements around the wearing of masks in public, hand-washing and sanitation, social distancing, the use of designated spaces at designated times, as well as other behaviors to help promote the well-being of all on campus. The College asks everyone to rise to this challenge with purpose and focus and to embrace the responsibility of care.

Acknowledgement. The College remains steadfast in its commitment to keeping campus as safe an environment as possible for the Barnard community by following local, state and federal guidelines and requirements. However, the College cannot provide a risk-free environment. All individuals returning to campus and taking part in the testing program will be required to acknowledge the inherent risks of returning to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff and faculty should log onto my.barnard.edu and will find the pledge under the COVID-19 Information tab.

Students sign the pledge when they complete the Semester Contingency Form. Students can view the pledge at any time on mybarnard.edu under COVID-19 Information.

See Community Conduct for information on response and reporting.

Barnard has established a robust and independent COVID-19 testing program to further monitor and manage the health of our campus and for those utilizing Columbia’s campus. The main provider of Barnard’s tests is the Safe for School program operated by Clinical Research Sequencing Platform (CRSP) and the Broad Institute. The College has implemented an app called CoVerified, manage daily symptom screenings, assist with contact tracing, schedule tests, and provide test result notifications.

1. Entry Test: The initial entry test is the first required element of the College’s comprehensive testing program. 
2. Regular Testing: All members of the community, including faculty, students and staff, participating in the testing program are required to participate in Barnard’s regular testing program, in which asymptomatic individuals (i.e. people who aren’t feeling sick) are tested on a regular basis as a way for the College to monitor the health and well being of the campus.
3. Daily Self-Screening using CoVerified: Faculty, students and staff are required to use the Barnard screening tool in the app CoVerified every day they access the Barnard campus to acknowledge that they are feeling well and that they have not knowingly been in contact with anyone who is symptomatic or has tested positive for COVID-19. It is the only mechanism by which Barnard community members can access Barnard’s campus. They must be prepared to show a “green screen” when they enter campus. CoVerified will alert them to stay at home or consult Barnard’s Primary Care Health Services (PCHS) for evaluation (if they are students) when a “red screen” appears.
4. Accessing Columbia's Campus: 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.
5. Columbia University members accessing Barnard’s campus: Beginning in the Spring semester, Barnard will recognize the ReopenCU app as the screening tool for Columbia University, permitting Columbia University constituents with a green pass to access the Barnard campus and prohibiting those with a red pass from accessing the Barnard campus.

To be eligible to use CoVerified, members of the Barnard community must have first completed the following steps:

Faculty & Staff

• Signed the Barnard Community Pledge
• Completed the Barnard health and safety training (at the end of the Community Pledge). Faculty members may alternatively complete Columbia's RASCAL training and provide their completion certificate to Human Resources.

Students

• Students sign the pledge when they complete the Semester Contingency Form.
• Complete the Barnard health and safety training (at the end of the Community Pledge)

Testing Program Requirements for Faculty

1. Taking an Initial Entry COVID-19 Test through December 2020: Faculty who plan to be on campus need to have an initial negative entry test for SARS-CoV-2 before access to campus will be permitted. Faculty should complete this form to make an on-campus appointment for a free entry test. The estimated turnaround time for results is within approximately 48 hours. More detailed testing information can be found in On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document. 
2. Taking an Initial Entry COVID-19 Test starting in January 2021: Faculty who were not on-campus continuously during the winter break must have a negative entry test for SARS-CoV-2 taken in 2021 before access to campus will be permitted. Faculty who have CoVerified access should use that to schedule; otherwise, faculty should complete this form to make an on-campus appointment for a free entry test. The estimated turnaround time for results is within approximately 48 hours. Faculty who maintained a regular on-campus presence during the winter break must test again on-campus January 2-14. This test will reset the time period during which their next Barnard test must occur. More detailed testing information, including the process for submitting a non-Barnard PCR test can be found in On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document.
3. Participating in Regular Testing
   Following a negative test result, faculty who will be teaching on campus, using their campus offices or campus facilities in the Spring semester, regardless of frequency, will be required to participate in regular testing on a monthly basis. Faculty who are having regular in-person interactions with students can expect to be retested once per week. All faculty are welcome to increase their testing frequency to once per week. More detailed information can be found in the On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document. 
4. Participating in a Daily Self-Screening Attestation at Barnard and Columbia
   For Access to the Barnard Campus:  Barnard faculty will be required to complete a daily self-screening using the app CoVerified. A “green screen” must be displayed on your smartphone for permission to enter campus. Note: Faculty can no longer access the Barnard campus using Columbia’s ReopenCU app. Review the Health and Safety webpage for health and safety protocols to access campus.

   For Access to Columbia University:  Barnard faculty will be required to complete the daily ReopenCU app for access to Columbia University and Columbia University buildings, including Columbia University libraries, offices, and labs. Faculty will be asked to show the “green screen” from the ReopenCU app on the Columbia campus as neither the Qualtrics nor CoVerified “green screen” will be accepted. 

5. Entrance to Campus
   To enter the campus at the main gate all staff will be required to swipe both their ID and show their daily screening “green screen” (and complete the initial entry test). 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 our clinician with further questions and instructions. If the red screen is in ReopenCU, you should also input your information to CoVerified. A clinician will then be in touch.

Testing Program Requirements for Staff

1. An Initial Entry COVID-19 Entry Test through December 2020
   Staff who plan to return to campus at all will need to have an initial negative entry test for SARS-CoV-2 before access to campus will be permitted. Staff should complete this form to make an on-campus appointment for a free entry test. The estimated turnaround time for results is within approximately 48 hours.
   
   More detailed testing information can be found in On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document.
2. An Initial Entry COVID-19 Entry Test starting in January 2021
   Staff who were not on-campus continuously during the winter break must have a negative entry test for SARS-CoV-2 taken in 2021 before access to campus will be permitted. Faculty who have CoVerified access should use that to schedule; otherwise, faculty should complete this form to make an on-campus appointment for a free entry test. The estimated turnaround time for results is within approximately 48 hours.
   
   Staff who worked on campus during the winter break must test again on-campus January 2-14. This test will reset the time period during which their next Barnard test must occur.
   
   More detailed testing information, including the process for submitting a non-Barnard PCR test, can be found in On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document.
3. Participating in Regular Testing
   Following a negative test result, staff who will be on campus this semester, regardless of frequency, will be required to participate in regular testing on a monthly basis. Staff who are having regular in-person interactions with students, or who work regularly in residence halls, can expect to be retested once per week. All staff are welcome to increase their testing frequency to once per week. More detailed information can be found in the On-Campus Test Information and Scheduling for Faculty and Staff document.
4. Participating in a Daily Self-Screening Attestation at Barnard
   All staff will also be required to complete a daily self-screening prior to entering campus using the CoVerified app. Upon completion of the screening, individuals will receive a “green screen” which means that the individual may access campus. 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.
   
   For staff who reside in campus housing:  This screening should be completed each morning, whether or not they plan on accessing the main campus that day. 
5. Entrance to Campus
   Until further notice there will be a single access point to Barnard’s campus through the main gates at 117th and Broadway. To enter the campus at the main gate all staff will be required to swipe both their ID and their daily screening “green screen”.

Testing Program Requirements for Students

1. An Initial COVID-19 Arrival or Entry Test
   Students who plan to access Barnard or Columbia’s campus/facilities will need to have an initial negative entry test for SARS-CoV-2 before access to the campuses will be permitted. Barnard informs students who have satisfied the Columbia gateway test requirement by completing a Barnard entry test; no further action is needed from students.
   • Residential students will receive more information about move-in that outlines arrival and entry testing and can review the information on the Spring 2021 tab under “Move-In.”
   • Non-residential students can schedule their entry test via CoVerified (note: a student’s first test at Barnard cannot be one used to end a required quarantine; such testing must be done elsewhere).
   Only testing done at Barnard satisfies Barnard requirements.
   
   If you have any questions review this information sheet or contact covidtesting@barnard.edu.
2. Participating in Regular Testing
   Students who will be accessing the Barnard or Columbia campus/facilities this semester will be required to participate in regular testing and can expect to test twice per week (based on our current protocols). Instructions for scheduling your regular tests will be communicated as we get closer to the Spring semester. 
3. Participating in a Daily Self-Screening Attestation
   All students will also be required to complete a daily self-screening on CoVerified app to enter the Barnard campus and on the ReopenCU app prior to entering the Columbia campus. Upon completion of the screening, individuals will receive a “green screen” which means that they may access campus, or a “red screen” which means as a result of reported symptoms or possible COVID-19 exposure access to campus will be denied. 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.
4. Entrance to Barnard’s Campus
   To enter the campus at the main gate, all students will be required to swipe both their ID, their daily screening “green screen” and show that they have either an appointment to be tested, an appointment with Primary Care Health Services, a reservation for space on campus or permission to assist with faculty research.

Additional Information about Barnard’s Testing Program:

• Barnard provides all on-campus testing for both entry and regular testing at no cost to faculty, staff or students.
• Barnard’s testing protocols are built around polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which have been referred to as the “gold standard” of testing. On-campus tests use an anterior nasal collection, which uses a short, Q-tip-like swab to collect a sample just above the nostrils. Tests will be processed by the Clinical Research Sequencing Platform in partnership with the Broad Institute. The estimated turnaround time is approximately 48 hours from collection. More information can be found on this fact sheet.
• Those participating in the testing program must get tested on a regular schedule basis as a means of monitoring the health of the immediate community. For the Spring semester:
  • Faculty and staff who frequent campus must test monthly (with the option to increase up to weekly); those with regular in-person interaction with students must test weekly.
  • Students, both residential and non-residential students, must test twice a week if they are accessing either Barnard’s or Columbia’s campus during the Spring semester.
  • Adjustments to the frequency of our testing will be based on considerations such as the infection rate both at Barnard and in New York City.
• Individuals will be able to view their personal test results on CoVerified as soon as they are posted by the lab.
• Accessing Columbia’s campus: Those students planning to access Columbia’s facilities at any point during the academic year:
  • Are required to participate in Barnard’s testing program. This includes Barnard students who were approved for and will be living in Columbia Housing and/or students planning to access Columbia University’s campus at any point during the semester.
  • Both the entry test and regular tests are for asymptomatic students only; students with symptoms of COVID-19 or who otherwise feel sick should consult Barnard’s Primary Care Health Services (PCHS) for evaluation and possible testing.
• Full participation in the program, including the entry test and regular testing is required; students cannot have a single standalone test or elect to test only during select weeks.
• The results of our community testing as aggregate information are available on the College’s COVID-19 Dashboard, including the number of tests weekly and the percentage of positive test results
• Separate from the daily attestation to enter campus, we are asking all faculty staff and students to update the College if they have experienced symptoms of COVID-19, possibly been exposed to COVID-19, or test positive for COVID-19 via a non-Barnard test at any point.
  • Any community member not feeling well, should notify the College via the CoVerified app and stay home to quarantine or isolate. A Barnard administrator will be in touch to check in and advise re: next steps.
  • If an individual receives a “red screen”, even in error, they must stay away from campus until a Barnard administrator clears them.
  • If they receive a “red screen” in the ReopenCU app, they should also report  symptoms, possible exposure, or positive test to Barnard using CoVerified and wait for a Barnard administrator  to be in touch.
• NYS app: A New York statewide contact tracing app, “COVID Alert NY,” is available. This does not replace Barnard’s (or Columbia’s) existing apps or procedures, but everyone should be aware of this additional app as an added layer in the efforts to trace and contact individuals who may have had exposure to COVID-19. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware have similar apps available that use the same technology framework.

Information about Barnard’s Contact Tracing Program:

Barnard has a dedicated team of contact tracers to engage in remote outreach that identifies and locates cases and contacts across the Barnard community (i.e. faculty, students, and staff) using a culturally respectful approach that builds trust and facilitates the  sharing of information. The College’s contact tracers have been trained using a course developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and they also participate in additional training that reflects Barnard’s commitment to supporting people who identify as belonging to communities who have experienced systemic oppression and bias.

All faculty, students and staff who are participating in Barnard’s testing program are expected to participate in contact tracing efforts undertaken by Barnard and/or New York City. Community members will be expected to comply with recommendations from contact tracers to quarantine and/or get tested.

Working closely with Barnard’s Primary Care Health Services and colleagues within the Pandemic Response Team, the Barnard contact tracing team will:

• Contact users that have reported a positive test result from tests that individuals may have arranged for themselves, as well as users who indicate close contact with a case;
• Reach out to Barnard students, faculty, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 to obtain the names of any Barnard community members with whom they’ve been in close contact (the College will be consistent with the New York City Test + Trace Corp and CDC standards, defining “close contact” as within 6 feet for 10 or more continuous minutes, as well as within 6 feet for a cumulative 10 minutes in the course of the same 24 hours; the usage of masks does not affect the determination of “close contact”)
• Provide information about the next steps for isolation;
• Reach out to the Barnard students, faculty, and staff who were identified as a possible close contact of a confirmed positive case, confirm close contact, and inform them that they must quarantine based on their possible exposure; the name of the index case will never be disclosed to contacts;
• Facilitate a connection with the College’s quarantine/isolation team for the management of quarantine/isolation of residential students in Barnard housing;
• Provide information about additional support that non-residential students, faculty, and staff can use as they manage their own quarantine/isolation.

Barnard must notify the NYC Department of Health about positive cases. The College maintains two information dashboards - one on our website and one posted by the NYC DOH. 

Our contact tracers have been trained using a course developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (the same course that New York State and New York City use for their training), and they also get additional training that reflects Barnard’s commitment to supporting people who identify as belonging to communities who have experienced systemic oppression and bias (e.g., people of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, justice-involved persons, persons experiencing domestic/intimate partner violence, people with physical and cognitive disabilities, people with mental or behavioral health concerns, etc.).

Please reach out to covid19@barnard.edu if you have any questions.

This dashboard provides information on testing done as part of the comprehensive testing program at Barnard. Any COVID-19 cases reported on this dashboard include positive, laboratory-verified test results reported as part of the on-campus Barnard testing program consisting of asymptomatic entry and regular testing, as well as testing conducted by Primary Care Health Service (PCHS) for symptomatic students. Out of confidentiality considerations, no identifying information about affected individuals will be published. 

Barnard, as with all institutions of higher education in New York State, reports additional information daily to the New York State Department of Health. This includes information the College has received about any positive cases among Barnard faculty, students, and staff accessing campus. This can be viewed on the NYS DOH dashboard page. An important consideration of the NYS DOH dashboard is that they aggregate some data; for instance, although the College reports daily the number of students quarantining due to possible exposure and the number of students quarantining due to travel-related requirements, the dashboard has just one number representing both categories.

Questions about Barnard's testing program can be sent to covidtesting@barnard.edu.

College-Related Travel Suspended

The College currently prohibits all non-essential College-related travel until further notice. No upcoming non-essential travel will be reimbursed during this period, unless it is approved in writing by the appropriate area Vice President, Provost or Dean of the College.

Personal Travel

New York State Travel Advisory guidelines allow out-of-state travelers to New York to “test out” of the mandatory 10-day quarantine(no longer 14-day). There is no longer a “restricted states” list; travelers from any international location or any state that does not border New York are now subject to these new protocols. The guidance also applies to international travelers coming from any CDC Level 2, 3 and 4 Health Notice country.

Note: Faculty & staff whose on-campus work classifies them as “essential workers” have a different protocol, listed below.

Travelers from states that are contiguous with New York (CT, MA, NJ, PA, VT) will continue to be exempt from the travel advisory; however, covered travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form (which is different from the College’s Travel Registration Form, required for all travel outside of the tri-state area; see more information below).

For any travelers to New York State from out of state, including international locations, exempting the contiguous states –

• Who were in another state/international location for more than 24 hours:
  • The traveler must obtain a negative diagnostic test within three days before departure from that state.
  • The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days.
  • On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain another diagnostic COVID-19 test. If both tests come back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine before the full 10-day period upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test.
• Who were in another state/international location for less than 24 hours:
  • The traveler does not need a test prior to their departure from the other state, and does not need to quarantine upon arrival in New York State.
  • However, the traveler must fill out the traveler form upon entry into New York State, and take a COVID-19 diagnostic test 4 days after their arrival in New York.
• Faculty, staff and students who have already begun testing in Barnard's asymptomatic testing program are welcome to test at Barnard for their Day 4 test.
  • This test would also fulfill the College’s testing requirements; it would count as either a regular weekly test or a re-entry test following at least one missed week of testing.
  • They can schedule the Day 4 test in CoVerified as they would any other test.
  • They must complete the Quarantine Attestation Form before testing; this form includes an attestation that travelers have taken a pre-arrival test that satisfies the NYS requirements.
  • If the test produces an “inconclusive” result, travelers must retest, continuing their quarantine until they ultimately produce a negative result
  • Students interested in testing at Barnard for their Day 4 test should refer to the Student Testing Information sheet.
  • Faculty and staff interested in testing at Barnard for their Day 4 test should refer to the Faculty/Staff Testing Information sheet.
• Students whose only tests at Barnard have been with PCHS are not eligible to do their Day 4 test at Barnard.
• Students, faculty and staff who have not yet tested at Barnard cannot do their Day 4 test in the testing center.

For general New York State inquiries contact the NYS Hotline: 1-888-364-3065 or Ask a Question.

All Barnard students, faculty, and staff are responsible for arranging for, funding, and managing any required quarantine that results from personal travel. 

Travel Registration

All Barnard faculty, staff and students traveling outside of the tri-state area will be required to fill out our Travel Registration Form at least 72-hours prior to their departure from the New York City area and to follow the guidelines listed above.

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.

• 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.
• Faculty and staff should use the supply form to request any cleaning supplies for offices or other areas.

PPE

Face coverings are required on campus, indoors and outdoors, including in situations where staff/faculty are physically distanced from others. The exception to this rule is where individuals are alone behind a closed door in a space that is dedicated to them, such as an office. Even in that situation, masks are still recommended unless eating or drinking. The College will provide a face mask 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.

Look for Health Ambassadors on campus who will have extra masks and can answer any questions.

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.
• Note that no matter how many improvements are made, air will generally recirculate. Therefore, it is required that individuals wear masks at all times, as described above.
• Staff/faculty should contact Facilities at facilities@barnard.edu with specific questions and concerns related to ventilation.