UMKC has been notified of three positive COVID-19 cases on campus.
• One involves an individual who was at the first floor fitness center, welcome desk and entrance table at Swinney Center on Sept. 5.
• One involves an individual who was in rooms 3301 and 5309 of the Health Sciences Building on Sept. 4.
• One involves an individual who was in one of the second floor practice rooms in the Performing Arts Center on Sept. 9. (all of the practice rooms have been sanitized.)
Any individuals who potentially may have been exposed are being contacted.
UMKC facilities staff are sanitizing the affected spaces, following Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on enhanced cleaning practices. In addition, staff continue to disinfect public spaces across campus, including daily disinfecting and extra cleaning of high-touch surfaces. Additional fresh air has been introduced into buildings in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Those who test positive will remain isolated as recommended by local and national guidelines. Current guidelines from the CDC say that people with positive tests must stay isolated for 10 days from symptom onset and three days after being fever free and improvement of symptoms. In addition, UMKC policy calls for individuals who have recovered from COVID to be cleared to return to campus by staff at the Student Health and Wellness Center, available at 816-235-6133 or studenthealth@umkc.edu.
UMKC will continue to work closely with health authorities to manage any campus exposures to COVID and to follow the recommendations of the local health department and the CDC. UMKC relies on these health experts to determine protocols for how to handle positive tests of faculty, staff, students or visitors on campus. These protocols guide campus health authorities’ assessment of positive cases and notifying any individual who may have come into close contact. In addition, protocols by local health agencies and the CDC guide the university’s practices to clean and disinfect any affected spaces and to provide additional health and medical information to affected individuals.
Actions that individuals can take to protect their own health, as well as the health and safety of the campus community, include:
• Stay home if you have COVID-like symptoms not explained by another illness including a temperature above 100.4 degrees, a cough or trouble breathing.
• Wash hands regularly, or use hand sanitizer if not near hand-washing facilities.
• Wear a face covering.
• Practice physical distancing by remaining six feet away from other individuals.
According to our campus policies, we will continue to post notices of positive cases online as soon as they are confirmed, and will provide additional updates as needed. All students, faculty and staff are required to report a positive COVID test within four hours of receiving the test result. Students should report COVID symptoms or positive test results to the UMKC HelpLine at 816-235-2222. Faculty and staff should report any COVID symptoms to their medical provider and not return to campus until given further instruction by their provider. Positive employee test results should be reported to an individual’s supervisor or to HR at 816-235-1229. After normal business hours, reports of positive tests by students or employees should be made to 816-235-COVI.
