Covid 19 Safety Protocols for DIRI Classes

Dear Dr. Ida Rolf Institute students, members, faculty, and staff,

We hope this message finds you and yours safe and well. The DIRI leadership team has been working hard to ensure a structured and thoughtful approach to safety protocols. Our goal is to create an innovated in-person campus operations that will keep our community safe, ensure access and quality for our students and advance our academic and research mission.

Colorado Department of Public Health & environment: https://covid19.colorado.gov/

Guiding Principles: Our Commitments (adapted from the University of Colorado)

Any plans for in-person campus operations will be data-informed, use the latest science, occur in alignment with public health guidance, and include strong mitigation for COVID-19 health risks to keep us safe.

  • We will apply leadership, empathy, and care to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our students, faculty, staff, and community members.
  • We will be innovative to meet our mission and maintain academic integrity, quality, and equity in the student and employee experience.
  • We will be resilient together to deliver a positive impact and adjust rapidly to changing, imperfect information to maintain our operational and fiscal integrity as circumstances evolve.

Safety Plan: Overview

  • Our plan explores our academic experience to feature the expanded use of blended in-person and remote learning, flexible course delivery models, student cohorts, and the possibility of condensed terms.
  • It identifies the need for modified hands-on experiences to safely bring students and faculty together while ensuring academic integrity and the uniqueness of Rolfing® SI as hands-on work.
  • It incorporates the rapid ability to support our faculty and teaching assistants in scaling to broad-based, robust remote teaching and learning, where appropriate.
  • It is supported by robust public health mitigation and safety measures that reduce the risk of transmission
  • It provides modified delivery of support services, innovative approaches to academic and experiential opportunities, diversity, equity, and community-building efforts.

We welcome feedback and suggestions on the enclosed plan. Together we can ensure the safety of our community members as we responsibly open our campus this fall.

Sincerely,

Christina Howe
Executive Director

Safety Protocols for in Person Classes

This document is prepared using the Department of Higher Education‘s guidelines.

Before Classes Start: Coming Prepared

Daily Health Form (found HERE)

Completion of a daily health form is required for all faculty, staff, and students each day they will be absent to due illness. By completing the form, individuals are indicating they are taking personal responsibility for their own health and safety while respecting the health and safety of others. Here are the five things you need to know about the form:

It is required. All students, staff, and faculty must submit the form every day they will be absent due to illness.

It only takes a few seconds. Create a shortcut on your phone so the form is easy to find (just in case).

It helps track and limit. By asking questions about body temperature, symptoms, close proximity to someone who may have COVID-19, and COVID-19 test results (if applicable), we are able to track the virus and limit its spread. People at risk for the illness may be asked to stay home or see a doctor.

Knowledge is power. Checking in through questionnaires is a public health best practice in the fight against COVID-19.

It is confidential. All personal health and medical information will remain confidential. Once your form is complete you will receive a response about when you can return to campus, or if you should stay home and contact a medical provider or the Boulder Health Department.

By coming to campus each day, individuals are indicating that they are in good health and do not have any symptoms of illness.

Medical Masks. The DIRI Board of Directors and Faculty, Executive Education Committee requires that all students wear a mask while in class and in the building. Medical masks will be provided to all students and faculty members and are required while working at the tables or during skillful touch. Face shields are available upon request.

Research shows that people who have no symptoms can spread COVID-19. Wearing a non-medical face mask helps minimize the spread of the virus.

 

During Classes: Building and Health & Safety

Before entering a building, double-check the following:

  • You are wearing a medical mask.
  • You do not feel sick.

Hygiene & Sanitation

  • Daily deep cleaning and disinfection of tables, chairs, and surfaces.
  • Students must take their shoes off at the door and must wear socks and/or slippers while in the classroom.
  • Hand sanitizing stations in each classroom.
  • Disinfectant wipes in each classroom.

Engineering Controls

  • HVAC updates to increase outside air filtration.
  • Portable HEPA air purifiers in each classroom.
  • Barriers in central areas (also available for classrooms). e.g., plexiglass screens
  • UV lights are located in each classroom for sterilizing tables and surfaces.

Student Cohorts

Students will be placed in small cohorts not to exceed 25% of the occupancy limit per room and will work exclusively with each other.

Classroom materials

  • Each student is required to have a device to access online instruction. This may include a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
  • Students will be issued medical masks for all touch portions of the class. Face shields are available upon request.

Class Space and Social Distancing. Students are required to put on indoor slippers or socks when they enter the classroom and remove their outside shoes and store them in the place provided. Backpacks should be hung on hooks, not placed on the floor. Masks should be worn at all times when individuals are not eating or drinking. Everyone should practice social distancing when possible.

Hands-on Work. Student pairs will work only with each other and will follow all precautions utilized by practitioners while doing hands-on work, including:

  • Sanitizing tables and chairs used for sessions.
  • Wearing a shield and medical mask during table and skillful touch sessions.

On Campus, Outside of Class

Common Areas. Common areas such as the kitchen, library, and lobby are open areas and individuals should practice social distancing when possible, and wear a mask at all times when not eating or drinking.

Kitchen. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunches prepacked and in suitable containers that do not require refrigeration. During lunch, students will enter and exit the classroom at the rear door and will be permitted to eat in the kitchen without masks.

Restrooms. Students from each classroom will be assigned specific restrooms for use. Only two students at a time may be in the shared restrooms. In some instances, only one student will be allowed in the restroom at a time. Wash your hands thoroughly after each use to reduce the potential transmission of the coronavirus.

If you are sick, stay home. Know the symptoms of communicable diseases and stay home if you are experiencing any of them.

Symptoms and Testing. People with communicable diseases report a wide range of symptoms, from mild to severe illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the following signs and symptoms for Coronavirus and has posted a Self-Checker: A guide to help you make decisions on when to seek testing and appropriate medical care:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Muscle pain
  • Sore Throat
  • Fever or chills
  • Sore Throat
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting

Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. The CDC has posted a Self-Checker: A guide to help you make decisions on when to seek testing and appropriate medical care.

When to seek emergency medical attention. Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New Confusion
  • Inability to wake or stay awake
  • Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility; Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19. Attached is a list of Boulder County Emergency clinics.

Testing. In general, you do not need a test if you do not have symptoms. If you think you have been exposed, limit your contact with other people for five days after your exposure. However, if you work in a care facility, work at a facility with an outbreak, or have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, it may be advisable to get a test even if you don‘t have symptoms. You should wait about five days after the date you think you were exposed before getting tested unless you develop symptoms.

  • Testing immediately after exposure is not helpful because it may be too early in the incubation period and there isn‘t enough viral material for the test to detect.
  • Students who are sick and receive negative COVID-19 test results should continue to stay home while they are sick and should consult with their healthcare provider about the need for additional testing and the appropriate time to resume normal activities.

Information on testing sites

Information on kinds of COVID-19 Testing

Isolation applies to students who/ and

  • Have a positive COVID-19 test.
  • Have symptoms of COVID-19 (coughing, shortness of breath, and/or fever).
  • Are getting ill and think they might have COVID-19. Symptoms, especially early on, may be mild and feel like a common cold. Symptoms could include a combination of cough, body aches, fatigue, and chest tightness. Some people may not develop fever or fever may not appear until several days into the illness.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

 

How long does Isolation last?

  • If you have tested positive for COVID-19 OR if you develop symptoms of COVID-19, including early or mild symptoms (see above), you should be in isolation (stay away from others) until:
    • You have had no fever for at least 24 hours (without the use of medicine that reduces fevers)
      AND
    • other symptoms have improved
      AND
    • At least 5days have passed since you were tested or your symptoms first appeared
      • A limited number of persons with severe illness may require an extended duration of isolation up to 20 days after symptoms first appear.

Quarantine:

  • Separates people and restricts their movement if they were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. This could include exposure to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or a person with the symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Is for people who are not sick, but who may have been exposed to someone (in close contact with someone) who is sick. This could include members of your household, co-workers, or others you spend a great deal of time with (and are typically within 6 feet of for 15 minutes or more).
  • Can be voluntary, but Colorado has the legal authority to issue quarantine orders to people who were exposed to a contagious disease.

How long does Quarantine last? Stay at home or stay put in the same location for five days since your last close contact with an infected person so you don‘t potentially spread the disease to healthy people. If you get sick, begin following the isolation directions.

No doctor or health insurance?

Additional Resources if someone gets sick:

Screening tool to determine who needs to be sent home from school if they get sick: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u5i6AuwKh1rUx_xqb-TGV7O69l3BKWAB/view

Return to School Guidance following a positive symptom screen for COVID-19: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPvb3SbImc3UXUkrmdrQUIDIe_B8yK0-/view

A tool to determine if classmates or cohort members or close contacts of a sick person need to stay home can be found HERE.

 

Enforcement of isolation and quarantine

  • State and local public health agencies request that Coloradans and visitors from other states or countries voluntarily cooperate with isolation and quarantine instructions.
  • State or local public health agencies may issue isolation and quarantine orders in some high-risk situations or if non-compliance is anticipated.
  • If people do not follow the orders, public health agencies can involve law enforcement.
  • If enforcement were to become necessary, the entity that issued the order (the state or local public health agency) could file an enforcement action in state district court asking a judge to enforce the order. The court could also levy fines but, on the whole, public health is more interested in compliance with the terms of the order.
  • Public health agencies are working hard to make sure the needs of people in isolation/quarantine are being met to help ensure compliance.

 

LEGAL AUTHORITY IN COLORADO

 

Who to Contact for help in Colorado:

Call2-11 or (866) 760-6489

Text your ZIP CODE to 898-211

  • 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911
    Colorado‘s call line for general questions about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), providing answers in many languages including English, Spanish (Español), Mandarin

() and more.

  • 303-389-1687 or (877) 462-2911