In compliance with the governor’s Executive Order 21-22, any person who is employed by, volunteers for, or is contracted to provide services for an institution of higher education, or is employed by an entity contracted to provide services for an institution of higher education, is required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or be tested at least weekly. It is the responsibility of contractors to ensure that their staff are meeting these requirements.
Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a final dose (Pfizer and Moderna, two doses; Johnson & Johnson, one dose). Individuals must continue to test until fully vaccinated; if they have received a medical or religious vaccination exemption, they must follow an ongoing testing schedule.
UPDATED COMPANY HEALTH AND SAFETY PLANS
Facilities & Services requests that contractors submit updated health and safety plans that provide an overview of their current processes to address federal, state, and university COVID-19 protocols. This includes an explanation of compliance with vaccination and testing requirements (see below) in addition to the performance of jobsite activities on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign projects. Companies working on campus capital projects should have already received a request for updated information from a project manager. Contractors working with the Small Construction Services department, including Contractor Services and Job Order Contracting projects, should send the latest plans to David Dowler djdowler@illinois.edu.
PUBLIC TESTING LOCATIONS AND TIMES
Contractors are welcome to utilize the free SHIELD CU testing program available in Champaign-Urbana and Danville if necessary. Individuals must wear a face covering and practice social distancing at the testing sites. They must also refrain from eating, drinking, tooth brushing, mouth washing, gum chewing, or using tobacco products for at least one hour before submitting their saliva sample at the test location. SHIELD CU uses the Safer Community app, which needs to be downloaded on smartphones. Current public testing locations and times are detailed on the program website.
For more information, visit https://shieldcu.illinois.edu/. As a reminder, testing must be done using a test that either has Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or operates per the Laboratory Developed Test requirements by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
If you are fully vaccinated, a COVID-19 test is advised if you
- Are identified by a local health department as a close contact (test 3–5 days after exposure if you do not experience symptoms).
- Experience COVID-19-like symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, muscle or body aches, or diarrhea (test immediately and self-quarantine).
- Return from travel (refer to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines).
TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
If you test positive, you should immediately avoid in-person interactions with others. You will be contacted by a local health department representative who will provide specific isolation guidance and collect information for contact tracing.
FACE COVERINGS REMINDER
The State of Illinois requires everyone over the age of two to wear a face covering while indoors in public, which includes university facilities. This is mandatory regardless of vaccination status unless actively eating or drinking or alone in an office or room with the door closed. Face coverings are also strongly recommended in crowded outdoor settings involving close contact with others.
Thank you for your cooperation in protecting others while performing work at the University of Illinois and helping to reduce COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates throughout the entire community.