An overview of Westfield State’s COVID-19 protocols for the Fall 2021 semester can be found on the “Fall 2021/COVID” webpage. There, you can also find a categorized list of Fall 2021 FAQs, as well as the COVID-19 Testing Dashboard. Faculty, staff, and students should visit the Fall 2021 Opening webpage frequently, as it serves as the repository for the most up-to-date information on COVID-related operations at Westfield State.
Some important COVID-19 reminders include:
- Instructions for Students Experiencing COVID-19 Symptoms
Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact Health Services for an appointment for evaluation and symptomatic testing—413.572.5415 or healthservices@westfield.ma.edu. Students who have sought symptomatic testing off-site and received a positive result should contact Health Services. Instructions for students who test positive, including isolation, will be provided by a Health Services professional. Contact tracing related to positive student cases are managed through Health Services. Close contacts will be contacted by Health Services and provided instructions on any necessary quarantine or testing. Keep in mind that the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health do not recommend that asymptomatic vaccinated close contacts quarantine.
- Employees Experiencing COVID-19 Symptoms
Faculty or staff who are experiencing symptoms should not come to work, contact Human Resources (and their supervisor/department chair), and contact their health care provider. In addition, any employee who receives a positive result from COVID-19 testing offsite should contact Human Resources. Contact tracing related to faculty or staff positive cases are managed through Human Resources. Close contacts at Westfield State will be contacted by Human Resources and provided instructions on any necessary quarantine or testing. Keep in mind that the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health do not recommend that asymptomatic vaccinated close contacts quarantine. More information can be found in the Fall 2021 FAQs under the category “employee-specific FAQs for vaccine and mask requirements”—click here.
- Note that communication related to any temporary adjustments to how individual courses are delivered will be provided to students by either the faculty member or Academic Affairs.
- Overall, students’ questions related to COVID-19 should be directed to Health Services, while faculty or staff questions should be directed to Human Resources.
Also, faculty and staff should refer to the “Keeping the Campus Safe: Expectations and Guidelines,” recently distributed through email by Human Resources and now posted on the Fall 2021 Opening webpage.
Everyone’s continued cooperation is appreciated as we all play our part to “Protect the nest.”