COVID-19 Information Center

If you have had close contact with someone positive for COVID-19, review the CDC's What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19 webpage to determine which precautions you are required to take. 

Get tested at least 5 full days after your last close contact with someone infectious with COVID-19. If your test result is positive, follow CDC guidance for Isolation and notify your department chair/school director to make arrangements for continuity of instruction.

Review the CDC's Isolation page for guidance about isolation and additional safety measures. Faculty who are absent from class should also coordinate with their chairs/directors to ensure continuity of instruction.

An asymptomatic faculty member who teaches face-to-face classes may briefly transition to remote learning for an isolation period by using Zoom, Teams, Canvas, or other tools. These transitions, which may be due to emergency or unforeseeable events, do not count against the in-person contact hours required by instruction modes. The university recognizes the flexibility needed during times of emergencies and unforeseeable events.

If a student reports that they have tested positive for COVID-19, you should keep the information confidential and recommend that they follow CDC guidance for next steps. The CDC has developed an Isolation Calculator to help cases determine the appropriate dates for isolation. After completing a five-day isolation period, students should wear a face mask for an additional five days. Faculty have discretion in managing student absences related to COVID-19 and should determine appropriate arrangements for students who miss class.

No. All employees, including faculty, must safeguard the privacy of infected persons. Releasing the names of students who tested positive for COVID-19, or their close contacts, violates their privacy and confidentiality.

With COVID-19 continuing to circulate in our communities, it would not be unusual to receive several reports of positive tests during the course of a semester. However, an instructor who receives a significantly greater number of positive reports in a class during a week may choose to inform their class of the higher number of positive cases and encourage students to get tested.

As in the past, faculty have discretion in managing student absences, including those due to illness. Faculty members determine appropriate arrangements for students who miss class. Faculty should encourage students who test positive for COVID-19 to follow CDC recommendations for isolation. A calculator is available to determine the appropriate dates for isolation and other safety measures.  

If a face-to-face class has a large number of absences and the instructor experiences difficulty in managing make-up assignments and course delivery, remote learning and alternative strategies are at the instructor’s discretion. For example, the instructor may choose to temporarily use Zoom so absent students are able to observe lectures and class activities. An instructor may record and distribute lectures, add discussion boards in Canvas, create substitute assignments, or implement some other plan.

If you did not see an answer to your question in the FAQs above, you may submit it to shccovid@txstate.edu. In your email, do not include any protected health information or identifying information for persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19. You should receive a response to your question within one day Monday through Friday.

If you have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, please review the CDC's page on What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19. Safety precautions, including wearing a mask and monitoring for symptoms, are required for 10 full days following exposure.

Testing for COVID-19 should be conducted at least 5 full days after your last exposure to the positive case. If your test result is positive, follow the isolation protocol described on the CDC's Isolation page.

If you are required to isolate, you should contact your professors, and supervisor if applicable, to notify them that you will be away from class or work due to a medically necessary absence.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home away from others. The CDC's Isolation Calculator can be used to help you determine your isolation period and when it is safe to return to class or work. A face mask should be worn for an additional 5 days after ending isolation.

Students should also contact their professors, and supervisor if applicable, to notify them that they will be away from class or work due to a medically necessary absence.

If you live in a residence hall, you should isolate yourself, wear a face mask, and notify your residence hall director.

No. A negative test is not required. After completing the recommended 5-day isolation period, students with confirmed cases of COVID-19 may return to class or work. However, if a student is still visibly ill, an instructor or supervisor can require them to leave the class or workplace if symptoms are improving and they are fever-free for the last 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Students should wear a face mask when around others for an additional 5 days after leaving isolation.

Getting a rapid antigen test at the end of isolation is recommended and a good way to determine if you are still infectious. However, an antigen test is not required to return to class or work. For more information on antigen testing following isolation, please review the CDC's Isolation page. 

For extended isolation, a medical note may be required by an instructor or supervisor.

Students are expected to notify their professors/instructors in cases of absence due to COVID-19. Faculty have discretion in managing student absences, including those due to illness. Faculty members determine appropriate arrangements for students who miss class. If an extended absence from class is required, a professor may request that a student provide some form of medical documentation substantiating the need for the extended absence.

If you did not see an answer to your question in the FAQs above, you may submit it to shccovid@txstate.edu. In your email, do not include any protected health information or identifying information for persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19. You should receive a response to your question within one day Monday through Friday.