Personal Safety Practices

(January 2022: The UH Mānoa COVID-19 Guidelines are being updated. Please refer to the UH System COVID-19 Guidelines for the latest information.)

UH Mānoa requires the following personal safety practices for all employees, students and visitors.

Students who fail to comply with the requirements could be subject to sanctions for violation of the university’s student conduct code, which could include suspension or expulsion.

Employees who fail to comply with the requirements will be subject to a progressive disciplinary action. A description of that process can be found on the UH Human Resources COVID-19 webpage.

Not Permitted on Campus

You are not permitted on the Mānoa campus or off-campus facilities if:

• You have tested positive for COVID-19.
  Those who test positive may not return to campus until they are cleared by University Health Services Mānoa and that decision will be based on the latest Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
• You are subject to government-issued or a healthcare provider’s orders to quarantine.
• You have been identified through contact tracing as someone who needs to be tested for COVID-19.
  Stay home and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result.
• A member of your household has tested positive for COVID-19, or you have been notified that you have had close contact with a person with COVID-19.
• You are sick.
  If you are sick, stay home, even if you only have mild symptoms of illness that could be COVID-19. Contact your medical provider and follow their advice including about when to return to campus.

COVID-19 symptoms include:

• Unusual weakness or fatigue
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Cough
• Fever greater than 100.4°F or feeling feverish
• Chills
• Unexplained muscle pain or body aches
• Sore throat
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Congestion or runny nose
• Headache
• Skin rash
• Chest pain or pressure
• New loss of taste or smell

If you are an employee required to stay at home under these guidelines, contact your supervisor regarding telework options or available leave.

If you are a student, contact your instructors as you normally would if you are feeling ill and are going to miss classes. If necessary, contact your academic advisor for assistance or email uhsm.covid@hawaii.edu.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, graduate assistants will not lose their income and health benefits if they become sick with the COVID-19 virus, need to quarantine due to potential exposure, and/or need to take care of loved ones sick with COVID-19.

Before you come to campus
Mandatory daily health check

All students, employees and campus visitors who will be on campus at any time are required to monitor their own health daily and screen for the COVID-19 virus.

• Everyone needs a green “You may report to campus” status with the current date on the LumiSight UH mobile app (Android or iOS) and/or web browser. LumiSight UH screens for possible COVID-19 symptoms and exposure and stores vaccination information or weekly proof of a negative COVID-19 test result. Information on installing the mobile app can be found in the Quick Start guide.
• Any individual who refuses to use the daily check-in health app or web form will not be allowed on campus, except as needed for employees to complete the screening onsite from a UH-provided computer or device.
• Students and employees could be subject to disciplinary action discussed in the first paragraph of this section.

COVID-19 symptoms are listed above.

Additional information on the LumiSight UH app.

Mandatory vaccination for students

• The COVID-19 vaccination has been added to the health clearance requirements for students. As such, students who will be physically attending courses (vs. online), living in on-campus housing, or participating in activities (including athletic or other campus events) on any UH campus starting in the fall 2021 semester must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Unvaccinated UH students are still welcome and may enroll in online courses. Online learners will also be able to engage with student services online and participate in student activities virtually.
• A PCR test is required (antigen tests are not accepted) if you are not vaccinated and it must be taken within 7 days of when you need to be on campus. For the fall 2021 semester, Clinical Labs of Hawaiʻi (CLH) has been contracted to provide FREE PCR tests at 24 locations across the state. Make an appointment with CLH.
  For other state-approved testing locations go to https://hawaiicovid19.com/ and click on “testing.” Testing at sites other than the 24 CLH locations are not free.
• International students who were unable to be fully vaccinated in their home countries prior to arrival will be subject to separate modified quarantine procedures until they are fully vaccinated per UH System guidelines. In general, this means they must wear a mask correctly and consistently at all times when indoors (except in private spaces), maintain 3 feet physical distance from others, and only go to and from class to their residence. Refer to the International Student office on your campus for additional details.
• Medical and religious exemptions are available for health clearance requirements, through the current mechanisms in place for each campus.
• People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 if it has been two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). This guidance can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use listing (EUL) by the World Health Organization (e.g., AstraZeneca/Oxford, Serum Institute of India, Sinopharm, and Sinovac as of July 2, 2021).
• For more information, please consult our COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Students FAQs

When on campus
Face masks are mandatory while indoors

All students, along with employees and visitors, must wear face masks indoors while on campus. This includes classrooms, laboratories, offices, shops and common spaces such as hallways and elevators.

Indoor Workspaces (offices, cubicles, etc.): Masks are required unless working in isolation. Classrooms and teaching laboratories are considered public spaces and masks should be worn at all times if there is more than one person in the room. Masks with a clear window over the mouth are allowed if visible facial features are necessary to support teaching, learning or an activity.

Face masks are not required while outdoors on campus but recommended while in large groups.

You are not required to wear a face mask while working in isolation, (for instance, if you are working in a room by yourself) or if you have a medical condition or disability where wearing a face mask poses a health or safety risk. Reasonable accommodations will be made in those instances.

Note: Face masks, face masks and/or respirators with exhalation valves should be avoided as they do not protect others from expelled respiratory droplets and aerosols. Face shields should only be used in combination with and not as a substitute for face masks.

More information on face masks can be found on the UH System Guidelines and FAQs for face masks.

When on campus
Face masks mandatory in student housing

• Residents in student housing are required to wear face masks in common spaces of all residential buildings, including but not limited to lobbies, hallways, elevators, lounges, laundry facilities, eating spaces, etc.
• Residents are not required to wear a face mask when in their own living space, including bedrooms, suites, or apartments.
• If residents are feeling ill, they should wear face masks at all times.

When on campus
Practice good hygiene

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially:

• after wiping or blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing;
• after returning from a public place or shared common area/space (e.g., classroom, conference room, break room or lunch room);
• after touching trash or objects frequently used by others (e.g., handrails, door handles, and elevator buttons);
• after using the toilet;
• before, during, and after preparing food; and
• before and after work breaks and work shifts.

Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Hand sanitizer stations have been placed in every classroom, teaching laboratory and at the main entrance of every building. Hand wipe stations have been placed in every classroom and teaching laboratory.

When on campus
More good hygiene tips

• Do not touch your face with your hands.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a disposable tissue or cloth.
• Avoid sharing or using communal items (such as office supplies) and objects that are not as frequently or easily disinfected (such as fabric).

When on campus
Practice Physical Distancing

Wherever possible, the following physical distancing practices should be adhered to:

• Stay at least 3 feet from others
• Avoid gathering in groups or crowds, and
• If using an elevator, face masks are required and occupants must adhere to posted occupancy limits.

UH Mānoa has taken steps to ensure that those on campus are able to practice safe social distancing. Those steps include reconfiguring teaching, office and public spaces and adjusting the fall 2021 course delivery formats so that many courses have the option to be online in some capacity.

When on campus
Cleaning Your Personal Workspace

• Clean and disinfect high-contact surfaces in your personal workspace frequently in the same way that you would in the home.
• Clean and disinfect before and after each shift, including computer keyboards, phones, copy machines, hard-surface furniture and other objects such as the door knob to your office.
• Avoid sharing phones, desks, offices, vehicles, tools and equipment. If sharing cannot be avoided, items should be cleaned and disinfected by the user before and after every use.
• Office common areas like conference and lunch rooms should be cleaned before and after every use by the individual who uses them.

Get a Flu Shot

A flu shot will not protect against COVID-19, but may help reduce the chances of catching the flu or another influenza-like illness which may be mistaken for COVID-19 and/or hinder a diagnosis.

State of Hawaiʻi – COVID-19 Pre-Travel Testing program

Everyone over the age of 18 is required to register online with the State of Hawaiʻi Safe Travels Program before traveling to Hawaiʻi or inter-island, and follow the required steps.

Link to more information: https://www.hawaii.edu/covid19/travel-information/

Avoid All Non-Essential Travel

• Employees shall consult and abide by the university’s Travel Information, which may be updated as government guidance changes
• Consult local and national travel advisories for any travel restrictions.
• As travel restrictions are subject to change at any moment, be prepared for unanticipated quarantine requirements, which may prevent you from returning to campus.