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Syracuse University released a 33-page coronavirus response plan Tuesday with 127 recommendations for the fall semester.

The Public Health and Emergency Management subcommittee of the Fall 2020 Open Working Group released a framework for the fall 2020 semester that includes plans for coronavirus prevention, isolation and contact tracing. The framework includes plans to register students’ cell phone numbers for a contact tracing program and to provide all SU students, faculty and staff with masks.

The framework is only a draft and will change as new public health guidance becomes available, said Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, in a university-wide email.

The committee recommended that any SU student who leaves the central New York area during the fall semester be tested or required to quarantine upon returning to campus. The Barnes Center at The Arch should have all students register their cell phone numbers to establish a contact tracing program, it said.

The Barnes Center should also suspend walk-in appointments to mitigate possible exposure to the virus, according to the committee.

The university should implement temperature checks at the entrances to buildings, such as libraries and residential facilities, the committee said. The university should require identification to enter all buildings and prohibit individuals from holding the door for others, it said.

Because the supply of personal protective equipment has become unreliable due to the coronavirus pandemic, SU should provide all students, faculty and staff with an initial supply of masks, the committee wrote. It added that masks and face coverings should also be available at campus bookstores.

The committee suggested that SU develop a COVID-19 response plan specifically for SU athletes. Student-athletes and their “unique activities and social, living, and travel routines” present community health concerns, according to the document.

SU must offer classes asynchronously for international students who may not be able to enter the United States, according to the committee. International students should have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and the university should support them through the quarantine process, it said.

Visitors should not have access to SU facilities without prior approval, the committee said. Only prospective students, university employees, designated vendors and services and food delivery drivers should have access to university buildings, it said.

The committee recommended family members be able to enter residence facilities during move-in periods. Schools and colleges should keep a list of non-regular visitors’ names and contact information for potential contact tracing, it said.

The committee suggested that SU should prohibit faculty and staff from bringing their children and family members to campus. Faculty members who use university-provided childcare services or receive prior approval should be an exception, it said.

The committee’s recommendations also include updating the student code of conduct to state that compliance with public health rules is an “enforceable requirement to remain in good standing at Syracuse University.”

SU should direct all identified contacts of any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 to self-quarantine, pending state approval, the committee said. Isolation housing should also be available to students living off-campus.

The committee added that SU dining facilities should eliminate reusable kitchen utensils and replace them with single-use options.

“This framework acknowledges that even in the face of robust planning and strict adherence to public health directives, it is unreasonable to assume the ability to entirely mitigate the risk of student, faculty or staff exposure to COVID-19,” the committee wrote.

Published on June 17, 2020 at 2:00 am

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