Commitment to Safety

At the heart of our reopening plan is the recognition that the safety and well-being of our students, faculty & staff is the top priority. This will be an essential aspect of how we reopen Western Nevada College. The college door signs and TVs on campus will display safety messages, although our commitment to safety is the responsibility of all of employees to practice and model.

• Staying home when you are not feeling well, have a fever or may have been in contact with someone who is presenting symptoms of illness is important.  Please do not enter college buildings if you suspect you are sick.
• Handwashing and using hand sanitizer before and after touching common surfaces helps the spread of many diseases, including COVID-19.
• College departments and cleaning crews will take extra measures to clean and disinfect surfaces throughout the day
• Face coverings must be worn when WNC team members are outside of their personal office, but still in the workplace.
• Face coverings must be worn when WNC team members interact with students or members of the public.
• Face coverings must be worn by faculty in a classroom setting.
• Face coverings must be worn by students/participants on campus and face-to-face classroom setting.  Social distancing must be adhered to.
• Students who do not have access to masks, should contact the Office of Wildcat Student Life, located in the Dini Student Center.
• Faculty and staff who do not have personal face coverings should contact Human Resources.
• Drinking fountains and water filtration systems will be closed to the public.
• Social distancing is imperative. Maintaining at least a distance of six feet from each other is an important practice. When it comes to gatherings, risk is not just based on how many people there are, but rather how closely they are gathered and how they are interacting with each other. The risk does not disappear in smaller gatherings. It’s the distance and precautions that will make the difference.
• Buildings, offices and classroom capacity should be 50 percent or less capacity presently allowed by the fire marshals. Fewer people in a room with a larger distance between them is the only way to decrease the risk of spread.
• All college departments will implement measures to ensure social distancing is in place in all student/staff interactions and will include increasing physical distance between employees in the work space and between employees and students, the installation of physical barriers, and visual cues such as floor decals and signage to indicate where to stand.
• Employee break rooms may be used if six feet is maintained between occupants.  Face coverings may be removed for eating and drinking in the break areas, provided six feet of distancing is maintained.  Communal refrigerators, coffee makers, microwaves, dishes, etc. may not be used.
• No more than two people are allowed in a college or vehicle.  Face coverings must be worn at all times except when alone in office.
• Employees should be especially aware of social distancing in restrooms.  When entering a restroom, assess the occupancy and, if social distancing cannot be achieved, wait outside the restroom until other people exit.
• College common space furniture will be configured in order to create natural social distancing in areas where students typically congregate.
• Signs and floor decals on campus will help guide social distancing in areas where students tend to form lines or congregate.

Reopening Plan

Needless to say, the last few months have brought tremendous change to all of the lives of members of the Western Nevada College family.  The unprecedented circumstances created by COVID-19 pandemic have caused many disruptions and changed the college in ways we could not have imagined.  We can all agree that at some point, life goes on regardless of what is happening in the space in which we operate and we adjust as needed to the circumstances shaping our environment.

The same is true of moving WNC forward in our mission to serve our community, and this is why it is important for us to ready the college and its students, faculty, and staff to reopen our college.  At the heart of our reopening plan is the recognition that the safety and well-being of our team members and our students are the top priorities.  This will be an essential aspect of how we reopen the campuses.

With this in mind, the following will be used to guide the work of reopening the college.

Guiding Principles

• We will coordinate our reopening with other NSHE institutions, the system office, and state offices.
• Where and when possible will be flexible in our approach.  Events change daily and we need to be ready to adjust as needed.  In this rapidly changing environment, even the best of plans are tentative at best.
• We will be prepared to transition to remote operations in all areas of the college if needed. We did this once when we had to go remote in March of this year, and we will be ready to do this again should the need arise.
• We will follow state and local government directives.  As these directives change, our plans may be impacted.
• WNC will consider continuing temporary remote work or alternate accommodations on a case-by-case.
• Most of WNC’s summer classes will be online, although there will be some opportunities to be on-site during the summer. This is especially true of courses in our health professions and our career / technical areas.

The plan to reopen our campuses will occur in three phases

Phase 1:
Campus leadership returns to campus – June 1
We will follow the directives of the Governor and the Chancellor in determining when this phase will begin.  During this phase, all members of the executive team, academic and program directors, all members of facilities and grounds, and all unit leaders will return to the college.  This group will be tasked with deploying the return-to-work plans for each of the campus areas, units and departments, in preparation for other team members to return to campus.

Phase 2:
Additional team members make transition to campus – June 15 (~10 working days after first group arrives back to campus)
Return to work plans will start each area with a skeleton crew on each campus with the rest of the services, where possible, being delivered remotely.  The date for this phase will be determined in coordination with other NSHE institutions and in compliance with state directives.  The Child Development Center may resume operations during this phase.

Phase 3:
Campus operations resume – July 1-27
Students and community members will be welcomed back on WNC’s campuses starting July 27. Phase 3 also includes remaining employees who didn’t return in Phases 1 and 2 coming back to campus on July 1.
WNC campuses reopened on Aug. 4.
At the heart of WNC’s reopening plan is ensuring the safety and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and visitors. To provide that safety the college is asking visitors to practice social distancing and to wear a face covering while on WNC’s three campuses.
Students or anyone visiting the campus not wearing a mask can be told to do so and will be asked to leave if they do not comply. Exceptions will be made for individuals who can’t wear a face covering due to a medical condition, disability or who are unable to remove a mask without assistance. Persons exempted from wearing a face covering should wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as face shield.
Because plans are in flux and match mandates from Gov. Steve Sisolak, refer to this webpage for updates.
All employees return to work as “normal” as possible in Phase 3.
WNC will work to secure as much PPE as possible, although supplies are limited. Employees who need PPE should contact the Office of Human Resources.
WNC is working on being as flexible as possible with the various needs of our employees. The HR office, led by Melody Duley, will be the point of contact for requesting return to work exemptions.

Summer/Fall Semesters

Summer Semester

Most of WNC’s summer classes will be online, although there will be some opportunities to be on-site during the summer.

Fall Semester

Instructional Plans for Reopening

As we move into the fall semester, classes will be scheduled similar to past years with online, on-site and hybrid (mix) options. However, the college will offer most on-site classes with a remote learning option (Zoom, Meet, others) to allow flexibility. This will not only serve as a backup in the event that another health crisis emerges, but will expand accessibility to remote students who are unable to travel to campus for a variety of reasons. All classes must have a remote learning option to serve as a backup. Classes in the nursing and allied health programs will be conducted primarily as usual this fall semester. Also, training programs that have a significant part of instructional time in labs (auto, welding, applied tech, etc) will be scheduled as usual, with possible remote options for lecture components where possible.

Classes – Fall 2020 Modalities

Online
Students attend fully online asynchronously via Canvas

Remote Video
Students attend synchronously via video tech (Zoom)
Students attend synchronously in-person or via video tech (Zoom)
Students attend synchronously via Zoom with onsite, low-residency discussion meetings at defined times during semester

Onsite
Students meet in person; class has remote backup option
These are getting Zoom (other) remote options

Nursing and Allied Health
Lectures: Students attend synchronously in-person or via video tech (Zoom)
Labs: Onsite using state-approved protocols

Science Classes
Lectures: Students attend synchronously via video tech (Zoom)
Labs: Onsite using state-approved protocols

CTE Classes
Lectures: Students attend synchronously via video tech (Zoom)
Labs: Onsite using state-approved protocol

Team Member Wellness, Work Accommodations and Mental Health

High-Risk Individuals

WNC will work with team members who self-identify as high-risk under CDC guidelines for COVID-19 or who live with or care for someone who is high-risk under CDC guidelines. When and if possible, WNC will consider temporary remote work for those whose positions are conducive to remote work.  Temporary remote work or other accommodations will be approved on a case-by-case basis.  An employee may request temporary remote work by submitting a completed form to their supervisor and Human Resources. An employee may be asked to submit supporting documentation to supplement the temporary remote work request or to aid in determining an alternate accommodation.

High-risk under CDC guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-increased-risk.html

Child Care

When possible, WNC will permit temporary remote work or appropriate leave use for employees who care for a child whose school or place of care is closed. Temporary remote work will be approved on a case-by-case basis. An employee may request temporary remote work by submitting a completed form to their supervisor and Human Resources.

Team Member Wellness

Team members who have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, are presumed positive for COVID-19, or are positive for COVID-19, will not be permitted in the workplace and may be permitted to work remotely until the symptoms subside. Employees who are too sick to work remotely, or whose positions are not conducive to remote work, will be placed on appropriate leave as defined by current leave policies.

Initial Return to Work

• All team members returning to work must complete the “COVID-19 Return-to-Work Health & Safety Acknowledgement” and submit it to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
• Employees must complete the four “COVID-19 in the Workplace” orientation modules before they may physically work on campus.
• All team members must have supervisor’s approval before returning to work. Supervisors must ensure the team member has submitted the appropriate items and completed the required training prior to having the team member return to work.

Weekly Screening

• Employees should ask themselves the following weekly questions from the “COVID-19 Return-to-Work Health & Safety Acknowledgement”:
  • Have you had contact with a person known to be infected, potentially infected, or exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 within the previous 14 days?
  • Have you or someone you have been in contact with traveled domestically or internationally in the last 14 days?
  • Have you or someone you have been in contact with attended a gathering where proper social distancing protocol was not followed in the past 14 days?
• If the employee answers “Yes” to any of the above questions, the employees should contact their supervisor to discuss potential accommodations or alternate work options.

Daily Screening

• Employees should ask themselves the following daily questions from the “COVID-19 Return-to-Work Health & Safety Acknowledgement”:

• • Do you currently have, or have you had in the past 14 days, any of the following symptoms that cannot be attributed to another known health condition or external factors (e.g. air quality)?
    • Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea. The most up-to-date information on COVID-19 symptoms may be found here: Symptoms of Coronavirus
• If the answer to the daily question is “Yes”:
  • The employee must notify their supervisor and not report to work.
  • If the employee has already reported to work, the employee must immediately notify their supervisor by email or phone and leave the workplace.
  • The employee will be placed on appropriate leave or approved for temporary remote work.
  • The employee or supervisor may contact Employee Health & Safety and/or Human Resources for consultation or further guidance.

Returning to Work on Campus After Illness or COVID-19

Group 1 – Employees with Mild to Moderate Symptoms

If an employee’s symptom(s) can be attributed to another known health condition, or if an employee has minor respiratory or digestive symptoms without a fever (e.g. symptoms related to air quality), the employee may return to work on campus when symptoms have improved and the employee is well enough to do so.

Group 2 – Employees Who Have Had Close Contact with Someone Diagnosed with COVID-19

An employee who has had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 must self-quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. The employee may return to work on the 15^th day after close contact with that person.

Group 3 – Employees Presumed Positive* for COVID-19

If an employee has COVID-19 symptoms which cannot be attributed to another known health condition or external factors, or if the employee has respiratory symptoms with a fever or other less-common COVID-19 symptoms, the employee may only return to work when:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptom onset – 20 days if the employee is
  severely immunocompromised  AND
• At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
• Other symptoms have improved

OR

• A health care provider confirms the cause of the employee’s symptom(s) is not COVID-19 and provides a written release for the employee to return to work.

OR

• A COVID-19 test is negative and the symptoms have resolved

Group 4 – Employees Positive for COVID-19 Who Are Asymptomatic

If an employee tests positive for COVID-19 but does not develop symptoms, the employee may discontinue isolation and other precautions 10 days after the date of the positive test, 20 days if the employee is severely immunocompromised, and may return to work on the 11th day after the positive test.

Group 5 – Employees Positive for COVID-19 Who Are Symptomatic

If an employee tests positive for COVID-19 and is directed by a health care provider or health agency to care for themselves at home, the employee may return to work when:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptom onset – 20 days if the employee is severely immunocompromised AND
• At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
• Other symptoms have improved

Test-Based Return-to-Work Acceleration

A test-based strategy is no longer recommended except to discontinue isolation or other precautions earlier than would occur under the symptom-based strategies outlined above. An employee in groups 3 through 5 may return to work sooner if the employee has had two negative results using RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 from at least two consecutive respiratory specimens collected ≥24 hours apart.

Additional Considerations

Not all circumstances will fall into the categories above, and WNC may use discretion in determining if and when an employee should return to work on campus.  In such Cases, supervisors are encouraged to consult with Human Resources and Environmental Health & Safety. Factors to be considered may include but are not limited to:

1. Was the person in “close contact” (see definition below) or just in “contact” (shared a space with distancing/face covering)?
2. Was the person/people “advised” to test or “mandated” to test by the health agency having jurisdiction?
3. Has anyone involved in the exposure to the known positive person shown symptoms?
4. How many days since last contact with the known positive person?

* WNC reserves the right to make a COVID-19 positive presumption

COVID-19 Leave

Per a March 20, 2020 memorandum from the Governor, employees are not required to utilize sick leave or annual leave for COVID-19 related absences. While that directive is in place, employees will be placed on paid administrative leave for COVID-19 related absences in specific circumstances.

Job aids on requesting and entering COVID-19 paid administrative leave are available in Workday. In the “Announcements” section of the Workday homepage, click “Tracking Coronavirus HR and Finance Costs”. A window will open showing job aids for tracking time by job type.

Employees who are unable to work while they are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed shall be approved for temporary remote work or placed on paid administrative paid administrative leave if in a position which is not conducive to remote work. The temporary remote work or paid administrative leave will end when child care becomes available or at the end of the fall semester whichever occurs first.

Employees in groups 2-5 whose positions are not conducive to remote work shall be placed on paid administrative leave until they meet the criteria to return to work on campus.

Employees in groups 3-5 who are too ill to work remotely shall be placed on paid administrative leave until they are well enough to work remotely or meet the criteria to return to work on campus.

Employees who are informed by a local health district of the need to obtain a COVID-19 test but have not been mandated to self-quarantine shall be approved for temporary remote work or be placed on paid administrative leave if in a position which is not conducive to remote work. The employee may return to work if the test is negative and the employee is symptom-free.

Employees who are indirectly exposed to COVID-19 (e.g. household member was exposed to a COVID-19 infected person, but not the employee) shall be encouraged to obtain a COVID-19 test along with other members of the employee’s household. The employee may be approved for temporary remote work or may be placed on paid administrative leave for testing purposes and for accompanying children or family members to be tested.

Definitions

Asymptomatic – Presenting no symptoms of disease.

Close Contact – Contact with a person who is:

• A household member
• An intimate partner
• Less than 6 feet away for more than ten minutes
• An individual providing care in a household without using recommended infection control precautions

Isolation – Separates sick people with a contagious disease from healthy people.

Quarantine – Separates and restricts the movement of people exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. These people may have been exposed to a disease and do not know it, or they may have the disease but do not show symptoms.

Symptomatic – Exhibiting or involving symptoms

FAQs

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – Lifeworks

The EAP is accessible by phone and online twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The EAP program is a confidential and specifically designed to assist employees and their families in handling personal and work-related issues. All services are free and completely confidential. You may contact the EAP by calling Lifeworks EAP at 1-877-234-5151 or by visiting www.lifeworks.com with the User ID: NSHE and Password: eap. Please note, these are both case-sensitive: “NSHE” (all caps) and “eap” (all lowercase).

Office and Building Configuration

Office and teaching spaces will be individually assessed and configured in accordance with Nevada OSHA guidelines, with a focus on the following:

• Developing communication methods to physically maintain separation between persons in all areas of the facilities including work areas and other areas such as meeting rooms, break rooms, parking lots, entrance and exit areas, and locker rooms.
• Using signs, tape marks or other visual cues such as decals or colored tape on the floor, placed 6 feet apart, to indicate where to stand when physical barriers are not possible.
• Replacing high-touch communal items, such as coffee pots, water coolers, and bulk snacks, with alternatives such as pre-packaged, single-serving items.  This includes drinking fountains, break rooms, and other social spaces. Non-essential group activities continue to be discouraged.
• Providing additional signage to communicate risk of COVID-19 exposure in the workplace as needs arise and hazards are identified.
• Implementation of communication methods to promote frequent and thorough handwashing, routine cleaning and disinfecting of high touch surfaces.
• Adjusting seats, furniture, and workstations to maintain social distancing of 6 feet between employees.
• Arranging reception or other communal seating area chairs by turning, draping (covering chair with tape or fabric so seats cannot be used), spacing, or removing chairs to maintain social distancing. A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) may be completed for tasks, procedures, or instances identified where distancing is impractical.
• Installing transparent shields or other physical barriers where possible to separate employees and visitors where social distancing is not an option.

Improved ventilation in college buildings will focus on the following:

• Increase the percentage of outdoor air.
• Increase total airflow supply to occupied spaces, if possible.
• Disable demand-control ventilation (DCV) controls that reduce air supply based on temperature or occupancy, as applicable.
• Use natural ventilation (i.e., opening windows if possible and safe to do so) to increase outdoor air dilution of indoor air when environmental conditions and building requirements allow.
• Provide 100% outdoor air “flushes” of air handling systems as conditions allow, including running building ventilation systems during unoccupied times to maximize dilution ventilation.
• Maintain central air filtration inspection programs.

Nevada OSHA continues to emphasize the need for business leadership to be working with and aware of the health and well-being of its staff, and the College will continue to develop collaborative solutions to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission in its office and classroom environments.