Confirmed Cases

When notified of an employee or student who has tested positive, Platt College, under the direction of Dr. Fran Ricker, Dean of Nursing will work with the Tri-County Health Department to report the case, initiate contact tracing and connect with anyone they identify as a close contact.

The CDC defines close contact as having been within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer with or without use of masks, 48 hours prior to when symptoms first started with the infected individual.

Faculty, staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms must isolate until:

• At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
• At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and
• Symptoms have improved.

You will be contacted only if you are identified through contact tracing as having come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19. If you are not identified as a close contact by the local health department, you have no special precautions to take at this time and will not be contacted.

Platt College will not send a college-wide communication each time a positive case occurs. Positive cases will be tracked and updated weekly.

The local public health department may contact an employee's supervisor if further contact tracing of the COVID-19 positive individual is needed; however, the actual test result and all other protected health information will not be disclosed.

Returning to Campus After A Suspected or Confirmed COVID Positive Test

Permission to return to campus will be given when these three conditions are met:

• The individual remains fever-free without the use of fever reducers for 24 hours.
• The individual shows improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath).
• It has been at least 10 days since their symptoms first appeared.

At the direction of their supervisor, employees may be required to provide documentation from their health care provider before returning to work.