Along with comprehensive COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, isolation is an effective and necessary tactic to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our campus communities. We are here to help you as you do your part in keeping our communities safe and healthy.
More information on student isolation can be found on the Student Affairs website.
Quarantine
CDC guidance no longer calls for quarantine for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19. Instead, individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 should begin wearing a well-fitting mask indoors immediately and take a COVID-19 test after five days. Individuals who test negative should continue to wear a mask indoors around others for 10 days. Those who test positive should enter isolation immediately.
What to expect in isolation
A referral to isolation can be concerning, but we are here to support you and make completion of your time as comfortable and uncomplicated as possible. The University’s robust isolation support system is designed to help you continue your studies uninterrupted, maintain your physical and mental health, stay connected and complete your isolation period with ease.
While in isolation, students can expect:
- Check-ins by Student Affairs UHS staff to assess individual needs.
- Faculty notifications by Student Affairs staff.
- Meal and package delivery for those residing in the isolation residence hall.
- Wellness services.
Isolation requirements
If you experience COVID-19 symptoms and receive a positive COVID-19 test, you will be directed to isolate by University Health Services (UHS), or a member of the contact tracing staff for a minimum of 5 days. UHS or contact tracing will discuss isolation living options with you.
Residential students only if able, will arrange to isolate at home or off campus. The University has very limited on campus capacity to isolate students.
Once you test positive, immediately put on a high-quality, well-fitting mask and upload your positive result to contacttracing@psu.edu. Expect an email from the contact tracing team with detailed instructions on the University’s COVID-19 protocol. The student will also be contacted by Residence Life staff with isolation procedures.
Day Zero is the day the student tested positive
Day Six is the earliest day a student can test out of isolation. Students must receive and upload a negative COVID-19 test result on or after day 6. Please upload the result to contacttracing@psu.edu.
Once the result is received and verified by contact tracing, the student and Residence Life will be notified that the student may leave isolation the same day.
Students MUST continue to wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask through day 10.
Days Six thru Nine: If on day six a positive test result is received, students should test daily with an at-home COVID-19 test kit, through day nine. Upload negative result to contacttracing@psu.edu.
Once the result is received and verified by contact tracing, the student and Residence Life will be notified that the student may leave isolation the same day.
Students MUST continue to wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask.
Day ten is the day students can leave isolation if they have tested positive on day Nine.
Non-Residential students: The University will not offer isolation space on campus. Students living off campus should isolate themselves at home, ideally in a space where they can avoid contact with others in their household.
Off campus students must isolate for a minimum of Five days and may discontinue isolation on day six if they are symptom free or symptoms have improved, and they are fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication. Students should test on day six using a COVID-19 at-home test kit. Please upload the result to contacttracing@psu.edu. If the test is positive, then students should remain in isolation and test daily through day nine until a negative result is received. If students continue to test positive on day 9, they may leave isolation on day 10. Please reach out to your campus health center if symptoms persist or worsen. For a medical emergency dial 911
During your isolation period, the Student Support Services team will reach out with an initial phone call and follow up email(s).
After isolation, all individuals should continue to wear a high-quality, well-fitting face mask while indoors around others until day 10 after their symptoms began or they tested positive for COVID-19.
Where to isolate
- Faculty and staff should isolate at home, ideally in a space where they can avoid contact with others in their household. Visit the CDC website for more information on isolating.
- Students living on campus must stay in isolation space on or near their campus or make arrangements to go home or isolate in a safe location.
- Students living off campus should isolate themselves at home, ideally in a space where they can avoid contact with others in their household.
Quarantine and isolation
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Please see this flow chart from Human Resources to guide you to your answer depending on your individual circumstances.
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Students who test positive and need to enter isolation will be encouraged to reach out to their course faculty. While students will be expected to contact their instructors and make every effort to work with the instructor to complete the work and stay on track, faculty are encouraged to work with students to the extent possible, given the challenging circumstances. Additionally, faculty should receive a message from Student Support Services whenever a student must be absent from class to isolate. Academic advisers will also be alerted when one of their advisees must miss classes due to isolation and students are encouraged to reach out to their advisers for assistance. Student Affairs will be providing support to these students and may be in touch with faculty to assist with the coordination necessary to encourage continued academic progress for these students. For students who are unable to attend class because of isolation requirements, faculty have many options for meeting their needs.
Per University Faculty Senate policy 42-27, instructors should work with students to provide, within reason, an opportunity to make up work that they have missed, recognizing that not all work can be made up. Many of the tools that have been used during the last year may assist in helping students continue learning while temporarily absent. Providing live lecture-streaming or recorded lectures, though not required, can be useful in supporting absent students; these are also great examples of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in that they can support a variety of students beyond those who are absent (e.g., English language learners, those with undisclosed learning disabilities, etc.). It is important to emphasize that while the creation of these materials is good practice, they should be temporary and not used to provide fully remote instruction to students for an entire semester, as it creates reporting and regulatory issues, especially for international students. -
No, individuals who have been in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive or suspected of having COVID-19 should begin wearing a well-fitting mask or ventilator indoors immediately and take a COVID-19 test after five days. Individuals who test negative should continue to wear a mask indoors around others for 10 days. Those who test positive should enter isolation immediately.
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Employees can find detailed information and guidance on the Health Guidelines, Contact Tracing, and Quarantine and Isolation pages.
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Students can find detailed information and guidance on the Health Guidelines, Contact Tracing, and Quarantine and Isolation pages.
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