January 14, 2022
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 our transition back to campus. Our goal is to create an innovated in-person campus operations this fall that will keep our community safe, ensure access and quality for our students and advance our academic and research mission.
Cases of COVID-19 have risen drastically in Boulder County in recent weeks due to the omicron variant and is at High Risk of transmission. For more information go to the Colorado Department of Public Health & environment: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
Guiding Principles: Our Commitments (adapted from University of Colorado)
Any plans for our return to 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.
Safety Plan: Overview
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 Opening Winter/ Spring Classes
This document is prepared using the Department of Higher Education’s guidelines.
Before Classes Start: Coming Prepared
Online COVID Training. Before returning to campus, all students and employees must complete the required pre-arrival COVID-19 Training. Students, Faculty and Staff are required to commit to DIRI and public health guidelines—including restrictions on large gatherings—to support the health and safety of our community.
Daily Health Form (found HERE)
Completion of a daily health form is required for all faculty, staff and students each day you intend to be on the DIRI campus. Here are the five things you need to know about the form:
It is required. All students, staff and faculty must submit the form everyday you plan to be on campus (both inside and outside).
It only takes a few seconds. Set a daily reminder on your phone or calendar and create a shortcut on your phone.
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 the 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 an immediate response about whether you should come to campus or stay home and contact a medical provider or the Boulder Health Department.
Daily Temperature Taking. Start times for classes will be staggered, so that all students may have their temperature taken prior to entering the class, in addition to submitting their Daily Health Form. Students are required to monitor their temperature and to complete the Daily Health Form for five (5) days prior to the first day of classes.
Medical Masks. Colorado Executive Order D 2020 is a mandatory statewide mask order. All students are required to wear a mask if not 6 feet apart from other students and faculty. Medical masks and shields will be provided to all students and faculty members and are required while working at the tables or during skillful touch.
The order requires people in Colorado who are 11 years and older to wear a covering over their noses and mouths:
People who do not have to wear a mask include:
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:
Hygiene & Sanitation
Engineering Controls
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
Class Space and Social Distancing. According to the CO Division of Private Occupational Education (DPOS), “Programs and courses at Occupational Schools may resume in-person classes at 50% of the occupancy limit not to exceed 50 people per room." DPOS provides a space calculator for social distancing calculations HERE. Per the DPOS requirements, DIRI has committed to meeting the social distancing requirements for a 6-foot grid.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment and Boulder County Health state that schools may resume in-person classes at no more than 25% of the occupancy limit, not to exceed 50 people per room. This percentage excludes faculty and staff.
Students are required to put on indoor slippers or socks when they enter the classroom and to remove their outside shoes and store them in the place provided. Backpacks should be hung on hooks, not placed on the floor.
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:
On Campus, Outside of Class
Common Areas. Common areas such as the kitchen, library and lobby will be closed during classes. The administrative offices and lobby are closed to students, but emails will be provided on Canvas and in the classrooms so that students may coordinate meetings with staff as needed.
Kitchen. Only three students at a time may enter the kitchen. There will be no common kitchen items such as cups, silverware, or coffee pots provided. An hour lunch period will be provided so that students may go home or purchase lunch. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunches prepacked and in suitable containers that do not require refrigeration. Limited designated refrigerators are provided to each class. During lunch students will enter and exit the classroom at the rear door and will be permitted to eat lunch in the classroom.
Circulation. Students will enter through the rear doors of each of the three DIRI classrooms by lining up 6 feet apart while each student’s temperature is being taken. Upon entering class, students will move to the furthest seat in the room in order to maintain 6 feet distance. When breaks are announced by the faculty students will exit in a line with 6 feet between each student. If students need to access the restrooms during class, they will wear a mask and move to the furthest outside corridor of the room and exit while maintaining 6 feet with all seated students.
Reception Area/Waiting Rooms. Employees and Faculty in reception areas or other common areas should keep 6 feet apart and wear masks. Class breaks will be scheduled to plan traffic flow and to allow for physical distancing and to reduce time in the hallway. All procedures will eliminate the need for touching the same objects (e.g., pens, intake forms, attendance sheets.) Student support staff will use Plexiglas shields where appropriate. Shared objects will be removed from the lobby (e.g., magazines, pens, stapler, etc.)
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.
Private offices. When possible keep doors closed to reduce contact with others and maintain physical distancing. Meetings with Director of Financial Aid or Admissions should be held remotely whenever possible or in spaces that allow for physical distancing. Maintain personal hygiene practices in private offices.
Meetings and Communication. When possible, meetings such as the midterm and final interviews with students, should be held using technology (telephone, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, etc.). Participants in in-person meetings should be able to stay 6 feet apart. Furniture will be removed or rearranged to support physical distancing. If you must hold meetings in person, faculty and staff will limit the number of attendees, wear face coverings and ensure that everyone is able to stay 6 feet apart.
If you are sick, stay home. Know the symptoms of coronavirus and stay home if you’re experiencing any of them.
The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® has applied for a US Department of Education CARES grant which if awarded, includes scholarships up to $1000 for students who have completed a FAFSA, or in documented cases, where students have been impacted by COVID. Visit the CARES Act Compliance page for more information.
Symptoms and Testing. People with COVID-19 report a wide range of symptoms, from mild to severe illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the following signs and symptoms 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
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:
*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 14 days after your exposure. However, if you work in a care facility, work at a facility with an outbreak, or you 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 at about seven days after the date you think you were exposed before getting tested, unless you develop symptoms.
Information on kinds of COVID-19 Testing
Isolation applies to students who/ and
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html
How long does Isolation last?
Quarantine:
How long does Quarantine last? Stay at home or stay put in the same location for 14 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
LEGAL AUTHORITY IN COLORADO
Who to Contact for help in Colorado:
Call 2-11 or (866) 760-6489
Text your ZIP CODE to 898-211
() and more.