Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

At Emory

• Guides for Covid-19 Positive Notifications
• Positive Notification Policy & Communications Templates

At Georgia Tech

• Protocol for a Covid-Positive Case in the Classroom
• Responding to a Covid-19 Case in a Research Lab

BME Academic Office Operations

• For immediate concerns, personnel will be available in the Academic Office suite (UAW 1105) 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Staff also will remain available for virtual meetings.

Learning Commons Hours and Availability
The Learning Commons in the Whitaker Building at Georgia Tech (UAW 4114) is open and available for students, except between noon and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Starting Jan. 6, these hours are reserved only for graduate students and research staff to have an indoor eating space.

Signs are posted in the Commons.

Patio doors to the Commons will be opened for air circulation 3 times per day, and the entry doors to the Learning Commons will be left open during business hours.

Gathering Safely in Person
Outdoor Tent

• We have partnered with the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering to place a large tent in the BioQuad for small gatherings, meetings with instructors and students, or other safe gatherings.
• We will offer weekly snack hours starting the week of Jan. 19:
• Tuesdays – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesdays – 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Instructors have been encouraged to use this space to connect with students more regularly, so watch for those opportunities.
• The tent will be a reservable space but otherwise remain open for anyone to use safely while wearing masks and maintaining proper social distance.
• If your group would like to reserve the tent for a gathering, please contact Elisabeth Suto-Bardoczi.

Event guidelines are available from Emory and Georgia Tech.

Emory Required Onboarding for Spring Return
All students, faculty, and staff who plan to be on the Emory campus for any amount of time — for example, taking in-person classes, visiting university buildings, or accessing in-person campus resources — must complete the mandatory onboarding process.

• Spring Onboarding for Students
• Spring Onboarding for Faculty/Staff

Public Health Reminders: Test. Mask. Distance.
It takes a united effort to ensure a safe return to campus this month, so please do your part to protect yourself and each other.

Practice social distancing. Wear your face covering. Avoid gatherings, especially in higher risk settings such as restaurants, bars, and confined indoor spaces. Get tested when you return — both campuses offer free testing — and then make it part of your routine throughout the spring semester.

• At Georgia Tech, the Coronavirus Task Force is asking everyone to participate in surveillance testing on campus as soon as possible once you arrive, and then 3-5 days after arrival. After that, regular weekly testing is encouraged.
• Don’t forget your face covering! Be sure to wear one at all times when you’re around other people, including small friend groups.
• Avoid close contact with others or self-isolate for 7 days after you arrive — and continue to maintain social distance and avoid gatherings after that first week.
• Stick to it. Make healthy practices a part of your regular routine.

Find more detailed information about planning your safe return to campus:

• At Emory
• At Georgia Tech

Quarantine & Isolation
Isolation is the separation of individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 or been diagnosed with Covid-19. Current guidelines call for isolation away from others for 10 days to avoid spreading the virus to anyone else.

How to Isolate:

1. Do not leave your isolation location, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas or return to campus.
2. Monitor yourself for symptoms of Covid-19, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may be present as well.
3. Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated.
4. Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care immediately if you have trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion, difficulty waking or staying awake, bluish lips or face, or if you think it is an emergency.
5. Follow care instructions from your healthcare provider and local health department. Your local health authorities may give instructions for checking your symptoms and reporting information.
6. Separate yourself from other people.

Quarantine is the separation of those who have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 but who are not ill. If you are within 6 feet, for 15 or more minutes, of someone who has Covid-19, you should quarantine for 14 days after the date of contact and potential exposure.

How to Quarantine:

1. Do not leave your quarantine location, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas or return to campus.
2. Monitor yourself for symptoms of Covid-19, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may be present as well.
3. Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated.
4. Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care immediately if you have trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion, difficulty waking or staying awake, bluish lips or face, or if you think it is an emergency.
5. Follow care instructions from your healthcare provider and local health department. Your local health authorities may give instructions for checking your symptoms and reporting information.
6. Separate yourself from other people.

More details about isolation and quarantine are available on the Tech Moving Forward website.

Asymptomatic Testing Information

At Emory:
If you are asymptomatic, click here to schedule a test.

Covid-19 asymptomatic screening remains optional for faculty and staff and as capacity is available. Completion of the spring onboarding process is required to be screened for Covid-19 on-campus.

To learn more about the saliva-based collection process, review the infographic on the Emory Forward website.

At Georgia Tech:

• If you have traveled over the holiday break, please plan to participate in surveillance testing on campus as soon as possible once you arrive, and then 3-5 days after arrival. After that, regular weekly testing is encouraged.
• Beginning Jan. 11, a surveillance testing site will operate in the atrium of IBB 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday. This testing site is intended specifically for the research community in and around the BioQuad.
• See the Tech Moving Forward site for the list of testing sites and the latest testing schedule

Georgia Tech Academic Continuity Resources for Faculty/Staff
https://gatech.service-now.com/continuity?id=sc_category&sys_id=c2180688dba30c10391b9837db961952

Link to Research Ramp-Up Resources
research.gatech.edu/research-ramp-up

“Due to public health concerns, Georgia Tech is unable to offer in-person advising at this time. We are offering students the choice to conduct advising via videoconference, but must convey that this method does make ensuring FERPA privacy difficult. Advisors will conduct video advising in a private location, and recommend that students do the same to limit the amount of information which could be overheard by others in the vicinity. By agreeing to videoconference-advising, students are confirming they understand this situation.”.

To ensure the environment is kept safe effective immediately and until further notice entrance into the Whitaker Building will be Buzzcard access only. Each person accessing the building must swipe their Buzzcard. Please be mindful tailgating is not allowed and doors must NOT be propped or taped open. Whitaker Building Access Forms can be found at: https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/admin-forms and sent to operations@bme.gatech.edu for processing. Questions regarding access to the Whitaker Building can also be sent directly to operations@bme.gatech.edu.