Testing, Quarantine, and Isolation Protocols

Ohio Wesleyan will follow these COVID-19-related testing, quarantine, and isolation protocols for members of the campus community. The protocols are subject to change as additional public health information becomes available.

Testing Protocols

  • Students and employees who have been granted an exemption from our vaccination requirement will be required to participate in OWU's surveillance testing efforts.
  • During at least the first three weeks of the semester, a random sample of vaccinated students who have not yet received a booster will be tested. (Effective Feb. 8, 2022, randomly selected testing is being paused.) 
  • We will continue testing student-athletes, following NCAA guidelines.
  • Symptomatic students should still be tested in the Student Health Center on Tuesday through Thursday each week and should contact covid19@owu.edu to report their symptoms.
  • We request that all employees perform at-home COVID tests if they are exposed to large crowds or other high-risk situations during the upcoming semester.
  • The university is providing PCR tests free of charge to students and employees who are required to complete a test. These tests are conducted using a nasopharyngeal swabbing method. No other testing methods are available on campus. If an individual prefers to get tested off-campus, they must provide the results of a PCR lab-analyzed test result to covid19@owu.edu the same day that result is received. Individuals are responsible for the cost and effort of off-campus testing.
  • Failure to abide by testing protocols will result in disciplinary action, including suspension from the university or from work responsibilities.

Close Contact to a Positive Person

We are following Centers for Disease Control and Delaware Public Health District guidance on this. If a person has completed their primary vaccination series, they do not need to quarantine following close contact with a positive person unless they are experiencing symptoms. They should monitor their symptoms for 3-5 days. They can test on day 5 to see whether they are positive for COVID. If they develop symptoms, we will test them at the Student Health Center. Close contacts should be diligent about wearing a mask for 10 days following their exposure.

Isolation/Positive for COVID

Regardless of vaccination status, a person has to be isolated for 5 full days. The day they test positive or begin developing symptoms is day 0. Day 6 is when they can leave isolation. Leaving isolation means they can resume classes, meetings, etc., but must be fully masked the entire time they are around others—including when they are eating. Others should always be masked around them. This goes to day 11.

Caveat to days 6-11—after their initial five-day isolation, they can take an antigen test (important that it is antigen) and if the result is negative, they can resume normal activities, including a return to normal athletic involvement. If they test positive, they will have to stay in isolation for the remaining days. We are working on getting at-home antigen test kits for students so they can test themselves. They will be required to send us a photo of their test result before we let them leave isolation.

Quarantine

Quarantine is for students who are not vaccinated and have been exposed to COVID. These students must follow the same protocols as isolating students (5 days in quarantine plus 5 days of strict mask-wearing as long as they receive a negative test after the first five days).

In some cases, we may have to "soft quarantine" students if there is a suspected outbreak among a team or group of students. This soft quarantine may or may not mean they cannot go to class, as it will depend on the guidance we receive from the health department. Students will receive an email with instructions on this and can show you, if needed. We do not anticipate this happening often.

Faculty Notifications

Ohio Wesleyan sends notifications to faculty when OWU receives confirmation that a person may leave isolation/quarantine since their return-to-class date will vary based on positive/negative test results.

Faculty also can ask students to see the letters they receive from the Dean of Students Office outlining their isolation timelines if they want a confirmation sooner. Students get 3 letters:

  1. When they must start of isolation with tentative dates for their timeline
  2. When they can leave isolation after a negative result
  3. When they can resume normal activities with no restrictions

While in Quarantine

Students in quarantine cannot go to class, athletic practices, the gym, or other public areas on campus.

We will email faculty to notify them a student will be out of class and again when the student can return to class. Students also should follow up with faculty to stay caught up with coursework.

* Close Contact Definition

Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 or more minutes within a 24-hour period where one individual was not wearing a mask. (If both parties were engaged in strenuous activity, the 15-minute exposure rule does not apply. It also is considered close contact if one party was not wearing a mask within 6 feet of the other party).

Vaccinated students in close contact will be permitted to go to classes and other activities, but they must be masked around others for seven days. Vaccinated close contacts can get tested three-five days after their last exposure to the COVID-positive person to reduce the seven-day masking requirement.

For more information, please email covid19@owu.edu.