COVID-19 Employee Information

We are here to help

While the world and our nation are in a better position today than earlier in the pandemic, COVID-19 remains a challenge, and health guidance and resources continue to adapt and update. As vaccination, boosters and treatments allow us to protect our University community better, St. John’s, its employees, and students can once again operate without disruption to our daily lives. To ensure our employees have the support and guidance they need to navigate COVID-19 related issues, Human Resources has consolidated information to this website.

The HR Policy Manual also includes a COVID19 policy series with information on vaccinations and paid leave time.

Notification Form FAQs

Guidelines for employees

In accordance with current CDC guidance, the Office of Human Resources has ended contact tracing for employees. Regardless of your vaccination status, know what to do:

1. Complete the St. John's University Notification Form.

2. Do not come to campus! Isolate yourself even if you do not have COVID-like symptoms and notify your manager. Based on CDC and NYS guidelines, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate for 5 days, where day 0 is the day your symptoms started, or if you have no symptoms, the day you took the test that got a positive result.

For staff, unless you are able to work from home (check with your manager), you will be on COVID-19 sick leave for the duration of your isolation period, which will not be deducted from your normal sick balance. Please indicate “COVID sick leave” on your timesheet.

3. Upload a copy of your COVID-19 positive test result to Medicat.

Once logged on, select “upload” and use the drop-down arrow to select the appropriate documentation i.e., COVID-19 Positive Test Results. Please make sure your documentation clearly indicates your name, test date, and evaluation date.
If you received a positive result from an at-home test, take a picture of your test and upload it to Medicat following the directions above. In your photo, please include your name, X number, and date the test was taken. Also complete the “At-Home COVID-19 Test Attestation Form” under the Forms tab.

4. Notify close contacts of your positive test result.

If you were in close contact with someone within 48 hours of your day 0 (which is the day your symptoms started, or if you have no symptoms, the day you took the test that received the positive result), please let them know you tested positive for COVID-19 and share the COVID-19 Notification Form (only for St. John’s students and employees). They are considered a close contact if you were less than 6 feet away from them for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

5. You must complete at least 5 full days of isolation. If you have moderate illness (e.g., experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing), severe illness (e.g., hospitalization), or you have a weakened immune system, isolate through day 10. Keep your manager apprised as to when you will be back to work. You do not need to produce a negative test result to return to campus.

You may end isolation after 5 days (or 10 days if you experienced moderate illness) if:
- You are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medication such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen)
- Your symptoms are improving (e.g., not coughing up phlegm, no runny nose).
If you experienced severe illness or have a weakened immune system, or your symptoms are not improving, talk to a healthcare provider before ending isolation.

6. Wear a well-fitting mask at all times (indoors and outside) around other people through day 10. We recommend wearing a tight-fitting mask such as a N95 or KN95 mask. As an alternative, you can wear a surgical mask under a cloth mask or double mask ensuring that there are no gaps.

7. After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation on day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider about when to end isolation.

Do not come to campus! Isolate yourself until you receive a negative result on a COVID-19 test.
COVID-19 symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus and may include:

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

Determine if you were a close contact of the person who tested positive. You were a close contact if, within 48 hours of the day they started symptoms (or if no symptoms, the day they took the test that got a positive result), you were less than 6 feet away from them for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
If you were a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you do not need to isolate and you may come to campus. You should exercise the following precautions immediately:

Wear a well-fitting mask at all times around others (indoors and outdoors) for 10 days after your day 0, which is your last date of exposure. We recommend wearing a tight-fitting mask such as a N95 or KN95 mask. As an alternative, you can wear a surgical mask under a cloth mask or double mask ensuring that there are no gaps.
If you develop any COVID-like symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you get a negative result.
Get a COVID-19 test on or after day 5 even if you don’t have any symptoms, unless you had COVID-19 in the past 90 days. If you test negative, continue taking precautions through day 10. If you test positive, isolate immediately.