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Reminder About COVID-19 Safety Requirements

November 30, 2020

Colleagues,

As we continue to see the number of positive COVID-19 cases surge, I want to remind you of the importance of adhering to the required safety protocol while on campus:

We have an obligation as faculty and staff of an academic health science center to follow these requirements, and ensure that our employees, residents, students, and patients are also following them. It takes all of us working together to keep this virus away from our campuses, communities, and ultimately, our homes.

The CDC recognizes "close contacts" as those who have been within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes. With mandatory social distancing on campus, there should not be any "close contacts" on campus who need to quarantine if a positive case occurs. Please make sure you maintain at least a 6-foot social distance at ALL times – in the hallways, elevators, in line at the food court, and especially in your offices and work areas.

As a reminder, we are quickly approaching time for performance evaluations. Please note that safety (the extent to which the employee follows safe working practices) is a factor in the annual performance evaluation process, appearing under the "Decision Making/Problem Solving" category of the Performance Review Detail Form. This year, supervisors should include an assessment of employee compliance with COVID-19 guidelines as part of their annual review. To assist with supervisor evaluations, a rubric has been created to guide the assessment of employee performance. It may also be used as a tool for prompting supervisors of COVID-19 guidelines, and motivating staff members by providing examples of what they should be doing to make our campuses a safer place. 

Thank you for your continued diligence as we battle this pandemic!

Kennard Brown, JD, PhD, MPA, FACHE
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer

May 26, 2022