Coming Back Safe and Strong Update
What You Need to Know, When You Need to Know It
CONTINUED COVID TESTING MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
One of the most important things you can do to keep us all safe and strong this semester is to continue to follow our safety protocols. In addition to the steps we always include at the bottom of this newsletter, please remember to complete required COVID-19 testing as follows:
Hospital employees and clinical faculty members – All Stony Brook University Hospital staff, FSA hospital colleagues and School of Medicine clinical faculty are required to participate in weekly anterior nasal swab COVID surveillance testing in the Health Sciences Galleria on Level 3. Testing hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 am - 3:15 pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:45 am - 5 pm. No appointments or pre-registration required.
ALL employees and students – To help ensure the continued safety of our campus community and ongoing in-person learning opportunities this semester, you are still required to participate in surveillance testing, as outlined above, even if you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
With the new COVID variants, surveillance testing is more important than ever.
STARTING MONDAY ... VACCINE ELIGIBILITY EXPANDED
Beginning Monday, February 15, the New York State Department of Health is expanding Phase 1b to include certain medical conditions for individuals between the ages of 16 to 64 for COVID-19 vaccination. This includes people who are pregnant and those with chronic conditions including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and pulmonary disease. View the full list of these conditions here. If you fall into this expanded criteria, your healthcare provider can direct you on how to obtain the necessary documentation you need to verify your eligibility. As a reminder, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has the sole authority to allocate the State’s vaccine supply to points of distribution (PODs) across the State, and supply is extremely limited. Currently, Stony Brook does not independently have access to the vaccine.
IN THE NEWS
SPRING INTO SAFETY BY ...
- Washing your hands or using sanitizer when soap and water aren't available.
- Maintaing a physical distance of at least six feet from other people.
- Wearing a mask at all times, including in classrooms, conference rooms and other spaces, even when six feet social distancing exists.
- Covering coughs and sneezes and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces in your workplace every day.
- Not using other people's phones, desks, offices, tools and equipment.
- Staying home if you're sick
- Avoiding large gatherings.
HAVE AN IDEA? NEED AN ANSWER?
Visit our continuously updated return to the workplace FAQs on our Coming Back Safe and Strong website, or send your questions to comingback@stonybrook.edu.
