Self-Isolation Protocols

Self-isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are sick with COVID-19 and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected. People who are in self-isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available). Both those who have symptoms of COVID-19 and have tested positive for COVID-19, as well as those who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 but have tested positive for COVID-19 (otherwise known as asymptomatic carriers) should self-isolate immediately after learning that they have tested positive for COVID-19.

You should take the following steps immediately after learning that you have tested positive for COVID-19:

• Immediately report your positive test to the University by following the instructions included in the COVID-19 Confirmed Case Reporting Policy
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately
• Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible
• Use a separate bathroom, if possible
• Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets
• Do not share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils
• Wear a cloth face covering, over your nose and mouth if you must be around other people or animals, including pets

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 and have had COVID-19 symptoms, you will need to self-isolate until:

• You have had twenty-four hours with no fever, and
• Your respiratory symptoms have improved, and
• Ten days have passed since the symptoms first appeared

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 but have not had symptoms, you will need to self-isolate until:

• Ten days have passed since you received your positive COVID-19 test result

Alternatively, depending on your healthcare provider’s advice and availability of testing, you might get tested to see if you still have COVID-19. If you will be tested, you can be around others after you receive two negative test results in a row, at least twenty-four hours apart. A limited number of persons with severe illness may produce replication-competent virus beyond ten days, that may warrant extending duration of isolation for up to twenty days after symptom onset.

Self-isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are sick with COVID-19 and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected. People who are in self-isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available). Both those who have symptoms of COVID-19 and have tested positive for COVID-19, as well as those who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 but have tested positive for COVID-19 (otherwise known as asymptomatic carriers) should self-isolate immediately after learning that they have tested positive for COVID-19.

The required duration of self-isolation is determined based upon an individual’s symptoms, but, at a minimum, an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to self-isolate for at least ten days, have not had a fever in twenty-four hours (without the aid of fever-reducing medication), and have not had any other COVID-19 symptoms for twenty-four hours. A limited number of persons with severe illness may produce replication-competent virus beyond ten days, that may warrant extending duration of isolation for up to twenty days after symptom onset.

An individual may receive self-isolation orders from the HPU Contact Tracing Team, from the Brownwood-Brown County Health Department, or from another health department. If an individual receives self-isolation orders from the University, he or she is required by University policy to abide by the instructions provided to them by the HPU Contact Tracing Team, and if he or she receives self-isolation orders from the Brownwood-Brown County Health Department, they are required by state law as well as University policy to abide by the instructions provided to them.

Students are encouraged to self-isolate at their permanent residences if possible, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to other HPU students in on- or off-campus residences. However, this will be impossible for some students due to housing vulnerabilities, lack of transportation, or household members who fall into an at-risk population group. Therefore, the University will have a number of designated rooms in the residence halls that will be utilized for the purpose of self-isolation.

Students who utilize these self-isolation rooms will be required to remain in these rooms for the duration of the self-isolation period. Meals will be delivered by a resident director or a member of the Office of Student Life staff, and the University Nurse will monitor their health with daily health screenings via phone call. The HPU Contact Tracing Team will alert the student’s course instructors, on-campus employment supervisor (if applicable), and the University’s Athletics Department (if applicable). Faculty members will adjust the student’s course syllabi as necessary in order to accommodate the student’s self-isolation requirement.

Over-the-counter medications (acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) and other healthcare-related items will be available for self-quarantining students upon request by contacting the University Nurse.

All students, faculty members, and staff members who are self-isolated will be required to complete the HPU COVID-19 Daily Health Log, ensuring the University is able to monitor each individual in self-isolation. The HPU COVID-19 Daily Health Log can be found on the COVID-19 centralized information center. Each day, the self-isolated individual will record his or her morning temperature, evening temperature, and the symptoms of COVID-19 (if any) that they are experiencing. Students should submit their log results daily via email to the HPU Contact Tracing Team. Faculty or staff members should submit their log results at the end of the self-isolation period.

If the self-quarantined COVID-19 symptoms continue to worsen, the individual should seek medical care immediately. Students should immediately call the University Nurse’s Office, who can help provide instructions on what the student needs to do. Faculty members or staff members should contact the Brownwood-Brown County Health Department’s COVID-19 hotline at 325-642-2635 or 325-430-5933, or their personal healthcare provider, in order to determine next steps.

It is imperative that all individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 call their personal healthcare provider or their local healthcare facility (walk-in clinic, urgent care center, free- standing emergency room, or hospital emergency room) in order to allow healthcare providers and frontline workers to ensure they have adequate personal protective equipment and that healthcare providers, frontline workers, and other patients are not exposed to COVID-19.

At the end of the self-isolation period, following the submission of the individual’s HPU COVID-19 Daily Health Log, the HPU Contact Tracing Team will provide clearance for the individual to return to regular campus activity. The individual should not return to campus until he or she has received a written notice of clearance to return from the HPU Contact Tracing Team, and the individual should continue to follow the University’s COVID-19 spread mitigation policies, procedures, and protocols at all times on campus.