UIC workplace public health guidance for supervisors
How supervisors can address employee questions about reporting COVID-19 symptoms, exposures and positive COVID-19 tests to Contact Tracing.
An employee reports they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Instruct the employee to stay home and encourage them to contact their primary care provider to discuss testing options that are appropriate for them. Campus employees experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 are not required to report symptoms to Contact Tracing but should follow departmental call-in procedures. However, all campus employees are required to inform University Health Service (UHS) by phone or email when they test positive for COVID-19. In addition, civil service employees are required to receive clearance from UHS when their COVID-19 absence exceeds three days. To receive clearance, employees have two options:
- Call (312) 996-7420 or email uhsclinic@uic.edu to schedule a virtual office visit with a nurse practitioner or go to the UHS clinic at 835 S. Wolcott St., Suite 144.
- Virtual and in-person appointments are offered between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The last patient will be registered at 3:45 p.m. The office is closed on holidays.
The UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program will remain available as a resource for employees who have questions related to campus guidance or require assistance navigating isolation or the post-exposure period.
An employee reports they tested positive for COVID-19.
Instruct the employee to stay home. Campus employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 are not required to report their positive test to University Health Service (UHS). The UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program will remain available as a resource for employees who have questions related to campus guidance or require assistance navigating isolation or the post-exposure period.
- UIC’s current policy is that all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or are likely positive for COVID-19 isolate for until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication AND until their symptoms have improved for a minimum of 24 hours. Upon returning to campus the individual must adhere to strict masking in ALL SETTINGS ON UIC’S CAMPUS for five additional days.
- All civil service campus employees are required to receive clearance from University Health Service (UHS) when their COVID-19 absence exceeds three days. To receive clearance, employees have two options:
- Call (312) 996-7420 or email uhsclinic@uic.edu to schedule a virtual office visit with a nurse practitioner OR go to the UHS clinic at 835 S. Wolcott St., Suite 144.
- Virtual and in-person appointments are offered between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The last patient will be registered at 3:45 p.m. The office is closed on holidays.
An employee reports they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Campus employees who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 are not required to report their positive test to University Health Service (UHS). The UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program will remain available as a resource for employees who have questions related to campus guidance or require assistance navigating isolation or the post-exposure period.
- Please note, quarantine is not recommended at this time for any individual regardless of exposure type or vaccination status.
- All individuals should consider testing 2 to 5 days following their last exposure to a COVID-positive individual.
- All individuals must mask IN ALL SPACES ON UIC’S CAMPUS THROUGH DAY 7 FROM THEIR LAST EXPOSURE and monitor for symptoms.
How supervisors can address concerns and questions about campus Contact Tracing and COVID-19 risk reductions in the workplace.
What can I do to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace?
Based on UIC Contact Tracing analyses, transmission often is attributed to less formal times, such as meal and coffee breaks and social events. It is important to encourage masking in the workplace and to instruct any employee with COVID-19-like symptoms to stay home, no matter how mild the symptoms may be.
How to address employee noncompliance with prevention recommendations, reporting requirements, and how to develop plans to make your worksite safer regarding COVID-19.
An employee refused to comply with UIC COVID-19 policies, for example, by showing up to work after being told to isolate or refusing to report a positive test result.
You should communicate directly with your Human Resources department for further guidance.
I have concerns about my workspace.
Please contact the Environmental Health and Safety Office or complete an anonymous online report.