Quarantine and Isolation Updates

August 30, 2022

Dear members of the SLU community,

I write with updates to our COVID-19 protocols, including: 

• Discontinuation of SLU’s quarantine requirement
• Update to isolation protocols
• Dashboard data this fall

All of our updated protocols and resources are also available on our updated COVID-19 website. 

Isolation vs. quarantine: Some definitions

The terms isolation and quarantine are sometimes inadvertently used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings. As you read about our updated practices, it will be helpful to know that: 

• Isolation is for people who are infected with COVID-19. 
• Quarantine was utilized for people who had been exposed to a COVID-positive person, but whose infection status was not yet known.

Discontinuation of SLU’s quarantine requirement

SLU has not required quarantine for vaccinated individuals since 2021 when COVID-19 vaccines first became available. Following recently-revised CDC guidance, SLU will no longer require quarantine for unvaccinated individuals. 

All individuals – regardless of vaccination status – are required to participate in our contact tracing process. Anyone identified by our contact tracing team as having been exposed to COVID-19 will be required to obtain a PCR test on a specified timeline and to wear a mask until they receive and report a negative test result. 

Our campus data show that our contact tracing efforts have reduced the spread of COVID-19 in our classrooms, laboratories and work spaces.

Update to isolation protocols for some students who live on campus

SLU follows a shortened isolation protocol, with a negative antigen test required to leave isolation.

• New for fall semester: Some students who live on campus will be able to isolate in place, staying in their own single rooms as they recover from illness. This option will be available to students who have a single room and who do not need to use a communal restroom. More details about these protocols will be sent directly to students who live on campus.
• On-campus students whose living situations do not meet the requirements for isolation in place will be provided with a room at Hotel Ignacio for the period of their isolation. We also encourage COVID-positive students to isolate at home or off campus with a non- SLU affiliated friend or family member, if they are able. 
• We will assess the success of the “isolation in place” approach later in the semester and evaluate whether it should be adapted for all residential students.

For all students in isolation: 

• The COVID-19 response team will work with each student to determine where and for how long they must remain in isolation. It is essential that students follow their instructions.
• Students will be provided access to resources to support their physical, mental, spiritual, and academic well-being. Students isolating on campus will be offered the opportunity to spend time outside every day, and to spend time in community with other students who are also isolating with COVID-19. 

All other isolation protocols for students, faculty, and staff remain the same. If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the reporting guidelines right away. You will receive instructions about the length of your isolation period, and what steps are necessary to be cleared to return to campus.

Dashboard data this fall

This fall, SLU will post key data about the number of COVID-19 infections among our students and employees in the previous seven days, and during the semester to date. 

• Data tracking began last week and the first dashboard will be published on the COVID-19 web pages by Thursday, September 1. 
• The data will be updated weekly on each Tuesday thereafter. 
• Archived dashboards are available on the COVID-19 web pages.

Thank you for your continued efforts to support the well-being of the SLU community. Stay safe and be well. 

Terri Rebmann, Ph.D., RN, CIC, FAPIC
Special Assistant to the President
Director, Institute for Biosecurity
Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
College for Public Health and Social Justice