Students follow USF’s COVID-19 protocols in the Undercaf. PHOTO BY RIDA JAN/SFFOGHORN
Ahead of the first week of school, the COVID-19 management team sent an update to the USF community on Aug. 16 sharing the latest guidelines to stay healthy. According to their message, members of the USF community are required to:
- Wear masks indoors on campus except at the Koret Health and Recreation Center
- Self-monitor symptoms of illness and not come to campus if they are feeling sick, even if they tested negative for COVID-19
- Report positive test results through the “Positive COVID-19 Case Intake Form” found on the MyUSF website
Students who test positive will be required to confirm what classes they have attended, and the faculty and students in those classes will be notified as soon as possible. Students who are up to date with their vaccinations and booster and who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive do not need to quarantine. Those who are not up to date with vaccinations and boosters need to quarantine for five days until they can get tested. COVID-19 testing will be available Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m., and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in University Center 501.
Over the summer the city of San Francisco reported a monkeypox outbreak, a flu-like illness with chickenpox-like rashes. On July 28, 2022, the San Francisco Public Health Director issued a local public health emergency for monkeypox.
Following this declaration, USF compiled a list of precautionary protocols. Students are advised to avoid getting monkeypox by following measures like avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash; not touching the clothing, bedding, or towels of a person infected with monkeypox; and washing their hands frequently. If students become infected with monkeypox they should stay at home, isolate themselves from other people or animals they may live with, and contact their medical provider.
The Foghorn will continue to report on the presence of the public health crises of COVID-19 and monkeypox as more information becomes available.
Zoe Binder, a fourth-year English and environmental studies double major, is the Foghorn’s editor in chief. She can be reached at zebinder@dons.usfca.edu.
