Attention NJCU Community:

With the rise in COVID-19 cases in our state and nationally, the purpose of this communication is to provide a weekly update on cases within our community and pertinent information to our campus — while also distributing important updates from the city, county, state and federal governments — and helpful guidelines.

As of December 11, 2020, there have been 87 total positive cases within the NJCU community since September 1, including 21 additional cases in the last week. Documentation of reported cases are update regularly and can be found on NJCU’s COVID-19 website dashboard.

NJCU is utilizing a targeted testing approach based on the risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the university community to identify those who may have COVID but are a-symptomatic. This method is known as surveillance testing.

Next week is the final opportunity for a surveillance test this semester with on-campus appointments available on Wednesday, December 16. Surveillance testing will be offered again beginning the week of January 11.

Learn more about COVID-19 Surveillance Testing at NJCU or signup for an appointment.

Click on this link to review NJCU’s procedure for reporting cases which was developed with direct guidance from the health department. 

What does it really mean to be a close contact? Currently, the CDC and the State of New Jersey define what constitutes being a close contact, with the state guidelines being the stricter of the two set of standards. Therefore, NJCU is following the guidance set force by the state. Click on each link in this section for additional information on the criteria.

NJCU has partnered with Diligent Urgent Care to provide COVID screenings, testing, and education for our NJCU campus. To schedule your Telemed visit: Click Here.

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please email telemedicine@diligenturgentcare.org or call 201-834-8887.

Please visit our NJCU COVID website for more information, including answers to FAQ’s (frequently asked questions).

Successfully dealing with the pandemic requires the shared responsibility of each and every one of us. For more information, please visit the NJCU COVID-19 responsibility statement.

Please use the COVID Concern Report to alert the COVID response team of a possible infection or any concerns regarding the utilization of our established safety protocols.      

To learn more about our safety precautions and all plans for a safe return to teaching, learning, living, and working, please visit njcu.edu/safecampus.

With the holiday season underway, it is clear that the holidays will look different this year. Celebrating while keeping yourself and your loves ones safe is a paramount concern. Planning a gathering this holiday season will require extra preparations. It is possible to celebrate safely, either virtually or, in some cases, in person. NJCU’s contract tracer, in conjunction with the Division of Student Affairs and the NJCU Department of Public Safety, offers the following tips to celebrate the 2020 holiday season in the time of COVID.

While the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to review and offer revised recommendations for quarantine standards, the quarantine expectations for the NJCU community have not changed. 

The CDC still recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. Dependent upon local circumstances and resources the CDC does offers two shorter but less effective options — a non-testing option that can end after Day 10 if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring and a testing option that can end after Day 7 if one tests negative and exhibits no symptoms. 

Regardless, for the safety of our university community, in both cases at NJCU symptom monitoring and facial coverings must continue through Day 14. If you believe you been exposed to COVID-19, please isolate immediately and contact your primary care physician. Those who are deemed to be in close contact will need to isolate between 7-14 days depending on the outcome of test results and symptoms.

For more information, read this CDC update.