Frequently Asked Questions

Health & Safety

 

We know the community has many more detailed questions about WPI’s protocols for health and safety than we can answer at this moment. Given the unpredictability of the spread of COVID-19, WPI must remain flexible and responsive to public health trends. 

The health and safety of our community are of paramount importance to the university, and we ask your patience as we finalize the critical details of new protocols that are intended to keep us all safe.

Please check this page often, and if you find your question is not yet answered, or if you have a specific concern, please email us at WeAreWPI@wpi.edu.

 

What resources does WPI have in place to help protect the health and safety of the campus community? (Added 7/1/20)

In addition to educating our students, faculty, and staff about health behaviors and measures they must take to help minimize the spread of illness, WPI has also prepared dedicated isolation spaces for residential students, developed plans for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, created a Respiratory Care Center for students, and required daily self-checks of symptoms.  

WPI is also increasing its health staff and services to support our COVID-19 health management response, and we are adding:  

• Testing Coordinator charged with overseeing WPI’s testing protocol, daily self-checks of symptoms, and contact tracing for students, faculty, and staff.  
• Isolation/Quarantine Coordinator charged with overseeing WPI’s isolation and quarantine protocols for students.  
• Staff at WPI’s Respiratory Care Center at 32 Hackfeld Road, including a nurse practitioner and a nurse.  
• Nurses contracted to provide care to students in WPI’s isolation spaces, as needed.  
• After-hours medical care available for students. 
• Contact tracers to support the Testing Coordinator and the Worcester Board of Health’s contact tracing efforts.  

  

Where will face coverings be required?  (Added 7/1/20)

Face coverings will be required in all spaces on campus, including indoor and outdoor spaces, and in shared spaces in residence halls, especially when social distancing is not possible.  

Face coverings are not required when alone in your private office or your residence hall room.   

Face coverings are not required for those who have a medical condition or disability that makes wearing a face covering unsafe. If you cannot wear a cloth face covering due to a medical condition or disability, please contact Talent & Inclusion (faculty, staff) or the Office of Accessibility Services (students) to request an accommodation. 

  

Will WPI provide face coverings for students?  (Added 7/1/20)

Students moving into residence halls will receive welcome kits containing four cloth face coverings, and a few other items. Students should plan to bring additional cloth face coverings so they will always have some to wear while laundering others.     

  

How will WPI get students and others in the WPI community to comply with new health behaviors, protective measures and cleaning?   (Added 7/1/20)

COVID-19 is the most significant public health crisis of our lifetimes, and our return to WPI will require a significant community effort. WPI will enlist the support and participation of all WPI community members in adhering to evidence-based practices to prevent the spread of COVID.  Information about additional measures to support compliance will be forthcoming.  

  

What about students who live off campus?   (Added 7/1/20)

WPI is taking a comprehensive approach to engaging the entire WPI community in our successful return to campus.   

All members of the WPI community—students, faculty, staff, and contract workers—will be required to complete testing and educational training. The online training, necessary for anyone living on or off campus, will offer information about COVID-19 signs and symptoms, along with evidence-based practices to prevent spread of the virus.   

   

Will WPI be testing students, faculty, and staff for COVID-19?   (Added 7/1/20)

Yes. WPI is developing a COVID-19 testing protocol that will require all students, faculty, staff, and contract workers to be tested before they come back to campus and/or when they arrive on campus. WPI also will conduct ongoing testing.   

Further details will be provided to the WPI community and posted online when they are finalized. WPI is contracting with outside organizations to conduct COVID-19 testing.   

    

Will students, faculty, and staff have to self-monitor or check themselves for symptoms? (Added 7/1/20)

Yes. All faculty, staff, students, and contract workers will be required to complete a daily self- check for possible COVID-19 symptoms, including taking their temperature, prior to coming to campus each day.  Students living in the residence halls should complete their daily self-check before they leave their residence hall rooms. WPI will conduct follow-ups with anyone who indicates they may have symptoms of COVID-19.   

Faculty and staff who indicate they have symptoms must stay home and consult with their primary care provider; students must stay in their residence hall room or off-campus residence and contact Health Services at 508-831-5520. Anyone who has severe symptoms should contact a health care provider immediately, or call Campus Police at 508-831-5555 if on campus, or 911 if off campus.   

    

How do I self-check for symptoms?  (Added 7/1/20)

All employees and students must conduct a daily self-check of their symptoms prior to coming to campus by reviewing the CDC’s current list of symptoms and taking your temperature. If you have no symptoms and no fever, you may come to campus.   

See below for information on what to do if you have symptoms of COVID-19.  

   

What are COVID-19 symptoms?  (Added 7/1/20)

A full, current list of symptoms can be found on the CDC’s website.

 

What do I do if I think I have COVID-19 symptoms?   (Added 7/1/20)

If you are experiencing severe symptoms or a medical emergency while on campus, call 508-831-5555 for Campus Police, or call 911.

Anyone with COVID-19-like symptoms should not come to campus (stay home or in your residence hall room) and self-quarantine immediately.   

Faculty, staff and contract workers should contact their personal physician to see whether symptomatic COVID-19 testing is needed.  They should also contact their supervisor to note their absence.

Students should contact Health Services at 508-831-5520 to arrange for follow-up assessment, which may include symptomatic COVID testing.  If appropriate, students will be tested, and isolated until results become available, generally within 24 hours. 

Symptomatic testing may be covered by insurance; please check with your insurance carrier. 

   

What do I do if I feel sick while I’m on campus?   (Added 7/1/20)

If you feel any COVID-19-like symptoms arise while on campus, please return home or to your residence hall room immediately.  Follow the instructions above on “What do I do if I think I have COVID-19 symptoms?” 

If you are experiencing severe symptoms or a medical emergency while on campus, call Campus Police at 508-831-5555, or call 911. 

   

When should I stay home? (Updated 7/8/20)

You must stay home or in your residence hall room if:   

• You are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms (see above) – or
• You have tested positive for COVID-19 – or
• You have had close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19.  "Close contact" means living in the same household as a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, caring for a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, being within 6 feet of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more, or coming in direct contact with secretions (e.g., sharing utensils, being coughed on) from a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, while that person was symptomatic. – or
• You have been asked to self-isolate or quarantine by a medical professional or public health official. 

If you are a student, self-quarantine and call Health Services at 508-831-5520.   

If you are faculty, staff or a contract worker, self-quarantine, call your personal physician, and notify your supervisor. Supervisors are instructed to keep personal health information of employees confidential. 

Report any positive COVID-19 test, for either yourself or a close contact, to WPI using this form.   

    

When can I come back to campus after having COVID-19, COVID-19-like symptoms, or being identified as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19? (Added 7/1/20)

Please remain at home and do not return to campus until you have been cleared to return to campus by your personal physician (Health Services for students) or public health authorities.  WPI’s Isolation/Quarantine Coordinator will work with you and let you know when you can return to campus. 

Please also refer to the guidance from the CDC on ending home isolation.   

 

Will testing be available if a student feels sick?   (Added 7/1/20)

Students with COVID-19-like symptoms should call Student Health at 508-831-5520 to arrange for an assessment, which may include COVID-19 symptomatic testing as indicated.

Symptomatic testing may be covered by insurance; please check with your insurance carrier.

   

Where can students get tested? Who will pay for testing?   (Updated 7/8/20)

Symptomatic students will be tested at WPI’s Respiratory Care Center at 32 Hackfeld Road.  Symptomatic testing may be covered by your health insurance; please check with your insurance carrier. 

WPI will be arranging pre-arrival, onboarding, and ongoing testing for students as needed. These tests will not be charged to insurance and there will be no per-test cost for students, because students will be required to actively participate in testing.

See below for additional information on health and wellness costs.

More information about WPI’s testing protocol will be provided in the coming weeks. 

   

Do I have to pay the Health and Wellness Fee if I’m not planning to be on campus? (Added 7/8/20)

The Health and Wellness Fee covers a wide range of services, including the Student Health Center, Student Development and Counseling Center, Accessibility Services, and others, regardless of whether students are taking classes on campus or remotely.

Please note that the university has added a supplement to the student Health and Wellness Fee, as reflected in students’ financial aid packages and student bills, due to the increased costs associated with providing students with enhanced health services related to COVID-19. WPI is absorbing most of these costs in an effort to minimize the impact on students while protecting our community. In addition to providing on-campus testing for asymptomatic students, the university has created a Respiratory Care Center for students; is hiring additional health care professionals, including a nurse, nurse practitioner, and two coordinators to oversee testing and manage the care of students in isolation and quarantine; and has set aside space and amenities for on-campus isolation.

Students who will not be on campus at all may request a rebate of the supplemental COVID-support portion of the student Health and Wellness Fee each semester, which is $195. The rebate application will be made available to students after A-Term/Fall Semester begins.  

   

Where can employees get tested? Who will pay for testing?   (Added 7/1/20)

Symptomatic faculty, staff and contract workers should contact their personal physician to arrange for symptomatic testing. Symptomatic testing may be covered by your health insurance; please check with your insurance carrier. Report any positive COVID-19 test to WPI using this form.   

WPI will be arranging ongoing testing for faculty, staff, and contract workers.  More information about WPI’s testing protocol will be provided in the coming weeks. 

   

Will WPI also test for antibodies or just active virus?    (Added 7/1/20)

We are following the guidance of local, state and national public health officials as we work to develop our testing protocol. At this time, due to this guidance, we are not including antibody testing in our current testing protocol.  

 

If a student had an antibody test that shows they had COVID already, do they still need to wear a face covering and follow health behaviors on campus? (Added 7/1/20)

Yes. Face coverings, social distancing, frequent hand washing and other health precautions are critical to mitigating the spread of the illness and must be followed consistently, regardless of a person’s antibody test.  COVID-19 is not yet fully understood, and the pandemic is unpredictable. WPI will continue to follow local, state, and federal guidelines and expects all students, faculty, staff, visitors, and others on campus to follow our important health protocols.   

   

Will WPI report information about infections on campus?   (Added 7/1/20)

Yes, WPI is working closely with local and state public health agencies, and will report any cases of COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses, as mandated.   

   

There are a large number of college students in Worcester. Do the local hospitals have surge capacity to handle an outbreak?   (Added 7/1/20)

We are working closely with local public health officials as well as other colleges in the Worcester area and across Massachusetts. The city is well aware of the need for hospital capacity to support the 30,000 college students in the city and is planning accordingly. Earlier in the spring, the state established a healthcare unit at the city’s DCU Center, in preparation for a surge in cases; fortunately, that space was not needed.   

    

If Massachusetts still advises a self-quarantine of 14 days on arrival in the state, what should out-of-state or international students and employees do?  (Added 7/1/20)

WPI will require all community members to adhere to federal and Massachusetts guidance on travel and self-quarantine after travel.   
Updated information about steps individuals must take before returning to campus will be forthcoming.

 

Will students have 24-hour access to health care and telemedicine?  (Added 7/1/20)

During typical business hours, Health Services will provide accessible, comprehensive quality health care, including referral services, for students in person and via telemedicine.     

After-hours care for students will be available through dedicated on-call services provided in conjunction with UMass Memorial Medical Center and WPI Health Services staff.   

    

What should students do if they feel ill with something other than COVID-19?  (Added 7/1/20)

No matter what their symptoms are, students who feel sick should stay home from class and activities on campus.   

If students have symptoms of any illness, they should call Health Services at 508-831-5520 to get advice on next steps. If they are experiencing severe symptoms or are having a medical emergency, they should call 911 or, if they are on campus, 508-831-5555 for Campus Police.   

   

Does WPI have resources for, or plans to isolate or quarantine students who have COVID-19 or symptoms? How would isolation work for students in off-campus housing?   (Added 7/1/20)

WPI Health Services supports all our students, whether they live on or off campus, and will provide support for testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantining. Students who feel ill should call Health Services at 508-831-5520, or, in an emergency, 911 or Campus Police at 508-831-5555.     

The university has developed detailed plans for students who are symptomatic or who have tested positive for COVID-19 and, with the WPI Isolation/Quarantine Coordinator, Residential Services, and other staff, will:

• Determine whether and where the student should quarantine or isolate
• Provide housing space, if needed, in WPI’s dedicated isolation space for students living the residence halls and in Greek chapter houses.  WPI recommends that students isolate at home, if possible.
• Medically support students in isolation via telehealth check ins and after-hours care
• Manage students’ daily needs for meals, medicine, and other resources and support
• Help support the students’ access to online courses, if they feel well enough
• Work with public health officials to conduct contract tracing

WPI encourages students who need to quarantine or isolate to go home, if possible.

   

What’s the difference between isolation and quarantine?  (Added 7/1/20)

While often used interchangeably, the terms “isolation” and “quarantine” refer to two distinct processes that are used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.  

Isolation separates students, faculty, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 from all others. WPI’s isolation protocol will be initiated whenever a student, faculty, or staff member tests positive – due to symptomatic testing, ongoing testing, onboarding testing, or pre-arrival testing.

Quarantine restricts the movement of students, faculty, and staff who are close contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. WPI’s quarantine protocol will be initiated whenever a student, faculty, or staff member is identified as a close contact by the Testing Coordinator or a local Board of Health.  If someone in quarantine develops COVID-19-like symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, WPI will initiate its isolation protocols.  

 

How will WPI conduct contact tracing and quarantine close contacts?  (Added 7/1/20)

WPI is hiring a Testing Coordinator who will be charged with overseeing the school’s testing protocol, daily self-checks of symptoms, and contact tracing. Upon notice of a positive COVID-19 case in our campus community, WPI’s Testing Coordinator will notify the Worcester Board of Health and work with them to trace likely close contacts on campus.

All close contacts, as defined by current CDC guidance, will be contacted and advised to quarantine for 14 days. If you have not been identified as a close contact after one of your colleagues or peers tested positive for COVID-19, you will not be contacted by a contact tracer and you will not be required to quarantine at home. 

For the purposes of testing and contact tracing, any student who intends to visit campus for any purpose (i.e. coursework, group work, library usage etc.) is considered an in-person student.  The only fully remote students are those who do not intend to visit campus in any capacity during the semester.

 

If a student has COVID-19-like symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, what happens to their roommates or suitemates? (Added 7/1/20)  

If a student has COVID-19-like symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, they will be isolated in one of WPI’s isolation units and their other suitemates or roommates will be asked to quarantine in their residential space, if it is safe to do so.  If students can safely isolate or quarantine at home, they are encouraged to do so. Health Services will be checking in with them while they are in isolation.    

    

What about students in fraternities and sororities who have COVID-19 like symptoms or test positive for COVID-19?  (Added 7/1/20)

Although WPI does not manage fraternity and sorority houses, any student living in those facilities who has COVID-19-like symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, will be isolated in one of WPI’s isolation spaces. Their suitemates or roommates will be asked to quarantine within in their residential space.  If students can safely isolate or quarantine at home, they will be encouraged to do so.  Health Services will be checking in with them while they are in isolation.    

    

Where can I find support for the stress and anxiety I am feeling?   (Added 7/1/20)

We urge students, faculty, and staff to check in with each other and to reach out for help when needed.    

For all students, support is always available through the Student Development & Counseling Center. Call 508-831-5540.    

For employees and members of their households, support is available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  More information on the EAP can be found here.     

 

Are there resources for addressing stigma on campus related to COVID-19?    (Added 7/1/20)

WPI strives to be a welcoming and inclusive campus.  We must remain vigilant in rejecting bias on our campus, while also supporting members of our community who may be experiencing stress, anxiety, and concern for family, friends, and colleagues who may be impacted.  Community members are advised to avoid making assumptions about who may or may not have come into contact with COVID-19. We also know that some community members may not be able to wear a face covering due to medical concerns.

The CDC has prepared information specifically to help counter stigma related to COVID-19.    

Anyone who feels they have been a victim of bias, or have witnessed bias are encouraged to report the incidents.   Students should contact the Dean of Students Office at 508-831-5201 and Employees should contact the Office of Talent & Inclusion at 508-831-5470.  For support services, students should contact the Student Development & Counseling Center at 508-831-5540, while employees should utilize the Employee Assistance Program. 

    

Will there be accommodations available for people who are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe illness?  (Added 7/1/20)

Students may contact the WPI Office of Accessibility Services at 508-831-4908 to discuss the process for requesting academic accommodations and housing accommodations.  Students are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.  Students can also choose to take all of their classes remotely, either at home or on campus.

   

What should incoming students do if they were unable to get their physical by July 1?  (Added 7/1/20)

Students should submit a copy of their most recent physical examination and provide updated information, as available.  

   

Will WPI be holding fever check points at campus entrances?  (Added 7/1/20)

No. Daily self-checks of symptoms will be required for faculty, staff, and students prior to coming to campus.  Because WPI’s campus is an open campus and because fever is only one potential symptom of COVID-19, it is not practical to have fever check points on campus.  

   

What will the university do if there is a COVID-19 outbreak on campus?   (Added 7/1/20)

WPI has plans in place to manage COVID-19 on campus via daily self-checks of symptoms, testing, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine protocols. WPI will work with local and state public health agencies to manage any outbreaks on campus and will follow recommend directives. 

   

If I have an underlying health issue, what should I do to help protect myself from COVID-19?   (Added 7/1/20)

Contact your personal physician or Health Services with any questions or concerns. Additionally, students may contact the WPI Office of Accessibility Services (508-831-4908) to discuss the process for requesting academic accommodations and housing accommodations.  Students are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.  Students should review the section on Academics to decide whether to take all of their classes remotely.