email : Webview : Employee Return to Work After COVID-19 Isolation or Quarantine

To: UCSB Faculty and Staff and Student Employees

From: UC Santa Barbara COVID-19 Response Team

Employee Return to Work After COVID-19 Isolation or Quarantine

February 10, 2022

CalOSHA policies now require that UC Santa Barbara employees, including student employees, stay in isolation or quarantine outside of the workplace for 10 days following a COVID-19 diagnosis or close contact exposure (if not fully vaccinated).

The required 10 day period can be shortened to 5 days as follows:

1. FOR EMPLOYEES IN ISOLATION AFTER POSITIVE COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS (regardless of COVID vaccination status):

Must be free of any COVID-19 symptoms before returning to work, AND
Voluntarily elect to perform an approved rapid antigen test that is observed either by their Supervisor or designee, or by a Designated Observer, and receive a negative result that is reported to the campus medical team.

2. FOR UNVACCINATED EMPLOYEES REQUIRED TO QUARANTINE AT HOME AFTER CLOSE CONTACT WITH A CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASE:

Must be free of any COVID-19 symptoms before returning to work, AND
Voluntarily elect to obtain a campus PCR test and receive a negative result.

Employees returning after 10 days are not required to obtain a negative test result as long as they have no symptoms.

UC Santa Barbara is providing COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits to departments and units at no charge to support employees who are interested in shortening their time away from work. Rapid antigen test kits are available to departments, and also the campus will be individually offering rapid test kits to affected employees through an email invitation with a voucher number for pick-up at the UCEN Campus Bookstore customer service desk.

Process for shortening isolation after positive COVID-19 diagnosis to 5 days:

Employee contacts their supervisor/manager/designated observer to make arrangements to perform a witnessed COVID-19 rapid antigen test on day 5 or later.
Employee obtains a rapid antigen test kit either through their department/office/email invitation or an outside source.
Supervisor/manager/designated observer observes the test and the negative result (tests may be conducted in person or by Zoom).
Supervisor/manager/designated observer must report the observed negative test result to the campus medical team by submitting a witness form.
It may take up to one business day for the employee to receive clearance and for their badge to be changed to green; they may work on day 6 or later with a negative test and no symptoms.
If the observed rapid antigen test result is positive, the employee must continue to stay in isolation. Employees may repeat the test every day as long as they are observed and may return as soon as the test is negative and they have no further symptoms.
After 10 days of isolation or quarantine, a negative test result is not necessary and the employee may return as long as they have no symptoms of COVID-19.

Shortening the isolation/quarantine period is completely voluntary. If the employee declines testing they must stay at home for the full 10 days. If the employee uses an approved personal test kit at home for the observed testing, departments may replace the used test kit(s) to the employee from the campus supply.

We hope this process will be efficient and convenient for departments, and allow a faster return to work in some employee cases, especially for those who have no or only mild symptoms that quickly resolve.

For questions about the observed COVID-19 rapid testing clearance process only, please write to sa-covidtestwitness@ucsb.edu. Other COVID-19 questions can be directed to ucsb-covid-19@ucsb.edu.

Thank you for helping us comply with the CalOSHA regulations, and for keeping our campus workplace as safe as possible.

UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA | 93106 United States

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