July 2 COVID-19 employee update

Posted: July 2, 2020

Good morning everyone,

Hope everyone’s summer is going well. It is hard to believe it is already July. Following are the latest updates for you. Please bring your questions to the all-employee briefing today at 11 a.m.

July 6 “Soft Opening”

As we continue to take steps toward safely opening campus, our “soft reopening” date will be Monday, July 6, after the holiday weekend. Please note that only the Orendorff Building will be open, and all other buildings on campus will remain locked throughout the remainder of the summer. Though the Orendorff Building will be open to the public, a staffing rotation pattern will be put into place in order to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Please keep the following in mind:

• Offices identified as providing critical customer service should be staffed with at least one employee during business hours.

• Individual staff members should work with their supervisors in order to determine a rotation schedule for the remainder of the summer.

• Through the remainder of the summer, we will continue our current practices of telework in conjunction with staffing rotations, event cancelations/modifications, travel restrictions and social distancing practices.

Please note that our July 6 soft opening is not the same as our fall 2020 opening. The NWC Incident Command System (ICS) Team is continuing their work on the planning and logistics around re-opening campus in phases, with contingencies for potential re-closings, if directed by county health officials, the state of Wyoming or the U.S. federal government.

The Board of Trustees will review that plan for approval at their meeting on  Monday, July 6. Once it has been prepared for dissemination, I will share that plan for fall 2020 with everyone, and we will begin implementation. The plan that is currently in the process of being finalized is contingent on funding we receive through the CARES Act.

Personal Protective Equipment

Northwest College employees and students will be required to wear face coverings while on the NWC campus. This requirement is in place beginning Monday, July 6, and also is part of the college’s plan for the fall semester.

The following is an overview of the precautions we plan to take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:

• We hope to provide two masks for each student, but we will also encourage students to bring their own masks, hand sanitizer, etc.

• Throughout the remainder of the summer and during the fall semester, employees are required to wear face masks in classes or spaces where they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing.

• Employees will be provided with two fabric masks but are encouraged to procure their own if they would like more than one or different mask styles.

• For campus visitors and members of the public who may arrive without a face covering, disposable masks will be provided as needed at key, high-touch areas.

• There will also be signage at the door asking people to wear a mask when entering the building and not to enter if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

• Plexiglass dividers will be implemented at high-contact points.

Looking forward to seeing you at our 11:00 all employee briefing via zoom today.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Stefani Hicswa, Ph.D.