COVID-19 Information

Students, faculty and staff should follow current DHEC and CDC guidelines for isolation in the event that they test positive for COVID-19.

If you test positive:

• Stay home for 5 days and isolate from others in your home. Wear a well-fitted mask if you must be around others.
• Do not travel.
• You may end isolation after 5 days, if you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
• Wear a well-fitted mask for 10 days after leaving isolation if you must be around others.

Individuals who test positive should also notify their close-contacts. A close-contact is someone who has been within 6 feet of you for at least 15 consecutive minutes (indoors or outdoors) over a 24-hour period.

Your list of close-contacts should go back to 2 days before you had symptoms, or 2 days before your test if you had no symptoms (you could have been contagious then).

Reach out to as many of your close contacts as you can, and let them know you tested positive.

• A fully vaccinated close-contact (a person considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second shot in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines; or 2 weeks after a single-shot vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine):
  • does not need to quarantine but should be sure to wear a mask for 10 days.
  • should get tested if they have symptoms.
  • should get tested on day 5 after being near you, even if they don’t have symptoms.
• An unvaccinated or partially vaccinated close-contact (person who has not received all eligible vaccines):
  • does not need to quarantine but should be sure to wear a mask for 10 days.
• • should get tested on day 5 after being near you, even if they don’t have symptoms.
  • should get tested if they have any symptoms.

If you have a positive test, you do not need another test for 3 months after the test date or when symptoms began as long as you do not have any symptoms of COVID-19.

While masks are not required at Lander University, any faculty, staff or students who wish to wear a mask in any campus settings are welcome and encouraged to do so. The University will continue monitoring COVID-19 developments and public health guidance, and should case rates begin trending upward, Lander’s mask policy may be reinstated.

One of the most effective - and simplest - practices that you can do to prevent the spread of any infectious illnesses, such as COVID-19, the common cold and flu, is to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands.

 

Practicing Good Hand Hygiene

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Follow these steps every time:

• Wet your hands with clean, running water, turn off the tap, and apply soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
• Also remember - avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Hand sanitizer stations are placed throughout campus in common and high-traffic areas, and Lander's custodial staff will ensure that all stations remain stocked.

It is especially important to clean your hands after you have been in a public space, or touched an item or surface that may have been touched by others, such as:

• Door knobs and handles
• Desks, tables and chairs
• Handrails
• Elevator buttons
• Computer equipment
• Phones
• Copiers/printers
• Pens/writing utensils