The persistence of COVID in our community
Employees and students have been asking questions about what the current College guidelines are, if you are infected with the respiratory virus known as COVID. Due to new variants of COVID, we are seeing a persistent level of new infections. (For general information about COVID, also called coronavirus and COVID-19, visit covid.gov).
Required quarantine period
In accordance with the Wayne County Health Department and the CDC, HFC follows a 5-day off-campus quarantine guideline, followed by a 5-day on-campus mask requirement (quarantine) from the first day of the onset of symptoms.
For example, if your symptoms begin on a Tuesday, the 5-day off-campus quarantine begins the following day, Wednesday. Return to campus would be acceptable on the 6th day (the following Monday), if all the following conditions are met:
- You have no symptoms, or greatly improved symptoms
- You have no fever (you may not use fever-reducing medications to achieve this)
- You continue to wear a well-fitting mask such as N-95 for 5 additional days while on campus. (This is based on a total “quarantine,” on and off-campus, of 10 days.)
How do I know if I have COVID?
If you have a respiratory illness, or if you have been directly exposed to someone who has a respiratory illness, you should test for COVID. COVID rapid tests are readily available at pharmacies, and you may also also order them for home use at no charge. Complete information and resources are here.
You may also request an on-site test at a pharmacy.
Please continue to report confirmed cases, even though contact tracing is no longer required
If you test positive for COVID, please start by notifying your supervisor (if you are an employee) or your instructors (if you are a student) of the date of your infection and the expected date of your return to campus. This date will be determined by the requirements under “Required quarantine period,” above.
If you are infected and you are not feeling ill (you have no symptoms) and you are fully able to work or study, please work with your supervisor or instructor(s) to discuss possible remote arrangements during your quarantine. Supervisors and instructors are not required to allow you to work or study remotely, but they may consider it. If they do not wish for you to work or study remotely, you will need to follow the SIC/absence policies of your department or your class(es).
Report cases to HR or Student Conduct and Compliance, with documentation
After you have addressed your situation with your supervisor or instructors, please:
Employees: Notify HR and provide documentation: tlwebster1@hfcc.edu
Students: Notify Student Conduct and Compliance, and provide documentation: StudentCovid-19@hfcc.edu
About face masks at HFC
All members of the HFC community are welcome to wear face masks / coverings at any time on either of our campuses and at all events. We ask everyone to be considerate of others' choices about wearing face masks.
Mask requirement following infection:
You will be required to wear a well-fitting face mask for 5 full days after returning to campus following a confirmed COVID infection, as noted above. This requirement will be waived if your return to campus is later than 10 full days after your infection began.
As always, you are welcome to continue wearing a face mask for a longer period, or continually, if you choose.
Additional questions
If you have followed the guidelines on this page and you still have questions, please reach out to:
Employees:
Tiffany Webster
tlwebster1@hfcc.edu
Students:
Munira Kassim
StudentCovid-19@hfcc.edu