COVID-19 Updates
Western Nevada College is open for classes in person and online.
Find more information on:
Commitment to Safety
The safety and well-being of our students, faculty & staff is the top priority at Western Nevada College. This is an essential aspect of how we operate. We will continue to evolve as state and federal guidance change, utilizing the Nevada Recovery Framework and NVOSHA Guidance for Businesses documents as our framework.
- Face coverings and PPE: Pursuant to CDC guidance released July 27, 2021, and in accordance with State of Nevada and Nevada System of Higher Education regulations, all persons are required to wear face coverings while inside any WNC building.
- Face coverings are provided for students who do not have one. Students who do not have access to face coverings should contact the Office of Wildcat Student Life located in the Dini Student Center. On the Fallon Campus, face coverings can be obtained from the front desk in Getto Hall.
- Face coverings are provided and required for employees. Faculty and staff who do not have personal face coverings should contact Human Resources.
- Health Status: Persons with COVID-19, unvaccinated people who have had close contact with COVID-19 cases, and anyone who is not feeling well or has a fever should stay home from work or school to prevent or reduce the risk of transmitting viruses that cause disease. Vaccinated persons who have had close contact with COVID-19 cases should be particularly vigilant to face covering, and should seek testing 3-5 days after exposure.
- Hand Hygiene: Handwashing and using hand sanitizer before and after touching common surfaces helps the spread of many diseases including COVID-19.
- Sanitation: College departments and cleaning crews will take extra measures to clean and disinfect surfaces throughout the day
- When no people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are known to have been in a space, cleaning once a day is usually enough to sufficiently remove viruses that may be on surfaces and maintain a healthy facility.
- Disinfection of shared spaces should continue in high traffic areas or areas where other prevention measures are used infrequently. Self-service disinfection stations will be maintained throughout campus.
- Vaccination: All Employees are encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Gatherings: To the extent practicable, avoid large groups of persons. Social distancing measures are not required by regulation at this time.
Important Information About Student Vaccination Requirements
Western Nevada College is committed to helping you navigate your educational journey. In light of this, we want to make you aware of the recent approval by the Nevada State Board of Health to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students in the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) who are taking in-person classes and how this requirement might affect you.
Beginning with the spring 2022 semester:
- Students registering for classes that meet in person for any class component, including a lab, field experience, etc. will need to be vaccinated before registering for classes. Students may request an exemption based on a documented medical condition or religious beliefs.
- Students registering for classes that are offered virtually, without in-person interaction, will not be required to be vaccinated.
- Students who attend classes off campus for a specialized program, such as Jump Start students who attend all classes at their high schools, will not be required to be vaccinated.
- Students must complete the Student Covid Vaccination Form.
WNC is working to create a flexible schedule of classes to meet the needs of all students. We offer a variety of classes: in-person, online through remote video ( Zoom (or a similar program) with regularly scheduled class times, and online through Canvas (or other learning modalities) without scheduled class times. These options will be noted in the class schedule.
The spring 2022 class schedule will be available online on Oct. 15, 2021, and registration begins for the spring semester for returning students during the week of November 8, 2021.
Western Nevada College is committed to doing its part to ensure the health and safety of our community. We encourage students who plan on taking in-person classes who are not yet fully vaccinated to do so as soon as possible. Information concerning vaccines can be found at https://www.immunizenevada.org/covid-19-vaccine-locator or https://www.wnc.edu/student-vaccine-clinics/
Team Member Wellness and Mental Health
Team Member Wellness
Team members who have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 – excluding those who have had COVID-19 within the past 3 months or who are fully vaccinated, are presumed positive for COVID-19, or are positive for COVID-19, will not be permitted in the workplace and may be approved for remote work for 14 days. 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.
Returning to Work on Campus After Illness or COVID-19
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.
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 15th day after close contact with that person.
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.
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.
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.
Persons who have been fully vaccinated and subsequently exposed to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine. They should be tested 3-5 days after exposure.
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 at least 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:
- Was the person in “close contact” (see definition below) or just in “contact” (shared a space with distancing/face covering)?
- Was the person/people “advised” to test or “mandated” to test by the health agency having jurisdiction?
- Has anyone involved in the exposure to the known positive person shown symptoms?
- How many days since last contact with the known positive person?
* WNC reserves the right to make a COVID-19 positive presumption
Definitions
Fully Vaccinated – At least two weeks have passed after receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or at least two weeks following receipt of a single-dose vaccine.
Asymptomatic – Presenting no symptoms of disease.
Close Contact – Contact as described below with a person who has COVID-19:
- You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
- You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
- You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
- You shared eating or drinking utensils
- They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
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
A member of my household, or someone with whom I have had close contact, has tested positive for COVID-19, do I have to self-quarantine?
Yes – unless you have had COVID-19 within the past 3 months or are fully vaccinated. You must self-quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. You may return to work on the 11th day after the last close contact with a person positive for COVID-19.
I have had contact with someone who had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Am I required to stay off campus?
No. If a health agency has not advised you to obtain a test or mandated self-quarantine,
and you are not experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, you may come to work on
campus.
A member of my household, or someone with whom I have had close contact, has been advised by a health agency to be tested for COVID-19, do I have to self-quarantine?
No. It is not necessary to self-isolate unless that person tests positive or you develop symptoms of coronavirus. You and the members of your household are encouraged to obtain a COVID-19 test.
Someone I have been in contact with informed me that they have tested positive for COVID-19 but I have not been advised by a health agency to obtain a test or mandated to self-quarantine, may I come to work on campus?
Yes. If you did not have close contact with that person, a health agency has not advised you to obtain a test or mandated self-quarantine, and you are not experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, you may come to work on campus.
I tested positive for COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, but it took 8 days to get my test result. Do I have to self-isolate for another 10 days after the test result was received?
No. You may discontinue isolation 10 days after the positive specimen was taken and may return to work on the 11th day.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – GuidanceResources
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.
Visit GuidanceResources Online at www.guidanceresources.com and enter your company ID: WNCEAP
Remember, your GuidanceResources benefits are strictly confidential.
Understanding COVID-19
WNC is following guidance from the Center of Disease Control, the USDOL-OSHA, Nevada OSHA, and Nevada’s Health Response team including the Governor, as well as NSHE officials to ensure essential processes and protocols are in place to understand the dynamics of the COVID-19 virus and how to operate within established parameters safely. Informing and educating our college community about how the virus spreads, and how to mitigate the spread is critical to WNC’s plan to reopen our campuses safely. Students, faculty, and staff can access important COVID relates resources by visiting:
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
www.cdc.gov
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
www.osha.gov
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
https://dir.nv.gov/OSHA/Home/
NEVADA HEALTH RESPONSE
https://nvhealthresponse.nv.gov
The information on this site is not intended to be all-encompassing and should not be considered medical or legal advice.