Health & Wellness Information
The information immediately following was furnished by the MU Health Center.
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I have symptoms and/or have tested positive for COVID-19. What do I do? Whom do I call?
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The success of MU’s plan for remaining safe on campus depends on continuing our deep culture of care for every member of the community. We must be diligent—in every hour of every day and in each personal decision we make—to safeguard our own health and the health of others.
Masks Optional on Campus
Currently, it is optional for individuals on campus to wear a face covering indoors or out. This includes classrooms, public restrooms, open office and common spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, libraries, theaters and other indoor spaces.
Handwashing
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or touching your face. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth and wash your hands after touching your face.
Health Monitoring
If you do not feel well, do not attend class or report for work, and seek medical advice. Contact Student Health Services 910.630.7164 or your healthcare provider.
Annual Flu Shot
A flu shot is recommended. This will help us maintain a healthier community and reduce the pressure on our campus and region’s medical systems.
Code of Commitment
We must practice honesty and integrity in daily living. We must show constant respect for others. We must take responsibility for ourselves, for others, and for the health of the Methodist University community, because human lives are so intimately connected on a residential campus. Students, faculty and staff are expected to abide by university measures to protect the health of our community at all times and will be held accountable for compliance.
Personal Protective Gear
MU will issue a cloth face mask (and other protective supplies when asked), and sanitation supplies are available throughout the community.
If You Become Ill
See specific instructions if you are not feeling well or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are showing symptoms.
Medical Care
If you experience COVID-19 Symptoms and begin to feel ill, first refrain from direct contact with others until you consult with a healthcare provider. If you are not in the MU area or on campus you should consult your healthcare provider or local hospital for directions if you begin to experience symptoms of COVID-19. If you are on campus and begin to experience symptoms of COVID-19 you may contact the Student Health Center to schedule a telehealth or in clinic appointment.
- Location: The Well, West Hall
- Phone: 910.630.7164
- Email: thewell@methodist.edu
- See the Health Services web site for hours of operation
Notification of COVID-19 Cases
Confidentiality laws prohibit the university from disclosing any identifying information about affected individuals. Any individual who has tested positive will be isolated, and anyone believed to be at risk for exposure will be contacted and asked to self-quarantine.
In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19, the University will follow contact tracing and notification protocols as directed by local and state health authorities. Identified contacts will receive guidance about monitoring and testing per the university’s COVID-19 Response Plan and at the direction of the Cumberland County Department of Public Health and North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services.
Contact tracing may include notification of:
- Close personal contacts identified by the confirmed positive individual
- Those in close housing proximity with the student (roommate, suitemates, apartment mates, those who may share a bath)
- Classmates, University staff and faculty members with whom the individual may have come in contact while contagious
- Members of student organizations with whom the individual may have come in contact while contagious
- On-campus employers with whom the individual may have come in contact while contagious
Quarantine/Isolation Plan
If you are sick with symptoms of COVID-19 or is suspected to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the specific instructions for isolation.
- You will restrict activities, except for getting medical care.
- Do not go to work, school, or public areas
- Do not use public transportation
- You may quarantine in your home (off-campus) or relocate to a different on-campus housing location. In some circumstances, students may be quarantined together.
- Students living on campus who test positive for COVID-19 and/or with symptoms will be isolated.
The North Carolina Dashboard
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services maintains a COVID-19 dashboard that is updated daily. The NCDHHS also provides information about how it defines and collects data for the dashboard.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness and hygiene are everyone’s job and responsibility. The entire university community must work together to keep others healthy and safe.
Custodial services personnel will continue providing daily cleaning and disinfecting of classrooms, breakrooms, bathrooms, classrooms, buildings and all public spaces.
Offices & Departmental Spaces
Disinfectant wipes are available upon request until inventory is depleted.
Residence Halls
Custodial services will clean common area shower rooms and restrooms (Cumberland and Sanford Hall) once daily and disinfect high-touch areas, five days a week and once daily Saturday. Custodial services will clean and disinfect residential common spaces, lounges and high-touch surfaces daily.
Residential life staff will conduct frequent health and safety inspections to include the bathrooms and require students to clean and disinfect their spaces.
Kitchen spaces in apartments will be cleaned by the residents and reviewed in the health and safety inspections.
Student Support (student center, recreation, meeting rooms)
All student support spaces, and meeting rooms will be cleaned a minimum of once daily by Custodial Services. High-use public spaces such as Berns Student Center, will be disinfected at a minimum once daily by Custodial Services.
Athletic Facilities
All athletic facilities currently in use will be cleaned and disinfected a minimum of once daily by Custodial Services. Athletics will designate staff to disinfect locker rooms after each workout. Custodial services will do a thorough cleaning of the spaces according to the assigned schedule and or evening schedule.
Athletes will disinfect equipment immediately after use with their personal towels and the spray bottle at their racks. After each session coaches will clean the equipment at every rack. At the end of each day the performance staff will do one more thorough cleaning of the weight room equipment, nutrition stations and offices.
Performance staff will clean and sanitize the weight rooms, nutrition stations and offices at the end of each day.
Requesting Service & Supplies
To receive additional service or hand wipes, submit a work order to support.methodist.edu for Housekeeping to respond.
Questions?
Contact us at forward@methodist.edu, our dedicated email address for COVID-19 communications.