How you will phase a reopening, and how many students, faculty, and staff (percentage of total capacity) will return to campus, considering factors such as:

• Ability to maintain social distance in public spaces and residence halls;
• Testing capabilities;
• PPE availability;
• Quarantine and isolation capacity, local medical capacity, and availability of safe transportation?

Responsible parties shall ensure that for any work occurring indoors, the total occupancy is limited to 25% of the maximum occupancy for a particular area as set by the certificate of occupancy, including essential staff, contractors, offices, within the research labs, studios, practice rooms, and all other spaces.[1] There will be no in-person classes in regular classrooms in the fall 2020 semester and specific labs offered in a hybrid mode.

A thorough review was done to determine which courses require students to attend on-site. The courses that are being offered on campus fall into two categories: 1. Courses in the professional programs where hands-on lab hours for students are required to meet their degree requirements according to the accreditation bodies, and, 2. Courses in the natural sciences where there are no online alternatives to lab experiments. All courses will take place in labs that meet the CDC requirements for adequate safety. This is in keeping with the protocols being followed by research faculty as specified in York's Return to Research plan and is overseen by the College Health and Safety Officer.

All departments requesting in person classes first met with the provost and respective dean to determine which classes need to be offered on campus. Once this was determined and approval given by the provost, the physical spaces were evaluated to determine how best to achieve adequate safety. There are two models in place for fall courses. The first model is a hybrid one where classes will be divided into subgroups of students coming to campus on alternating weeks. This ensures that social distancing is maintained within smaller lab spaces. The second model is for those departments that have large lab spaces or connecting labs allowing students to maintain social distancing. Class sizes in all cases have been adjusted to make sure social distancing requirements are met. The CUNYFirst schedule of classes indicates those courses that will be offered wholly or partially on campus informing students of this.

Ability to maintain social distance in public spaces and residence halls

York College has no residence halls.

In order to ensure proper limits are maintained in public spaces, the following guidelines will be followed:

1. Ensure a distance of at least six feet is maintained among employees at all times, unless the safety of the core activity requires a shorter distance (e.g., moving and lifting equipment). Any time an employee must come within six feet of another person, the employee and person must wear acceptable face coverings.
2. When distancing is not feasible between work stations or areas, provide and require the use of face coverings, or erect physical barriers, such as plastic shielding walls, in lieu of face coverings in areas where they would not affect airflow, heating, cooling, or ventilation.
3. Tightly confined spaces should be occupied by only one individual at a time (e.g., elevators, supply rooms) unless all occupants are wearing face coverings. If occupied by more than one person, occupancy will be kept under 25% of maximum capacity.
   1. Social distancing markers are to be posted around the workplace using tape or signs that indicate six feet of spacing in commonly used areas and any areas in which lines are commonly formed or people may congregate (e.g., clock in/out stations, health screening stations, break rooms, water coolers, etc.) Further, bi-directional foot traffic should be reduced by using tape or signs with arrows in narrow aisles, hallways, or spaces;
   2. Mark six-foot distance for escalators;
   3. Limit elevator occupancy to individuals with mobility difficulties; limit overall elevator occupancy to three persons, and mark six-foot spacing within the elevator;
   4. Hand hygiene stations at entrances to elevators and restrooms;
   5. Identify new occupancy limits for bathrooms (single or two-person-use) and other frequently used areas, post universal signage, and block access to stalls, sinks, or tables as appropriate to ensure physical distancing;
   6. Designate an egress for individuals leaving their shifts and a separate ingress for persons starting their shifts and limit movement, having workers remain near workstations as much as possible;
   7. Designate specific entrances, elevators, bathrooms for teams, or cohorts to limit density and prevent cross-contamination where possible.
4. Post signs, consistent with the Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 signage, to remind employees about social distancing, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and cleaning guidelines.
5. Limit in-person presence to only those staff who are necessary to be at the institution. For staff and faculty that must be onsite, establish staggered or cohort-based schedules to limit density. Encourage remote work for as many faculty and staff as possible, especially employees at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19:
   1. Each department head should repeat exercise performed at the beginning of the pandemic, determining the scope of each employee’s work that may be performed through telecommuting
      1. For employees who will continue telecommuting, recommend performing a revised assessment of technology needs in the home in conjunction with IT Department
      2. Each department head should evaluate, of employees who must perform duties onsite, whether schedules, lunch breaks, etc., may be modified to stagger shifts
         1. Consider staggered shifts, condensed work week, a combination of telecommuting and in-person work

• Each department head should evaluate, of employees who must perform duties onsite, whether groups may be organized in “cohorts” which will remain separated from other cohorts

1. Each department head should evaluate their office layout, in consultation with Facilities and Space Planning, to determine what modifications may be made to maximize social distancing of staff working on site
   1. Consider repositioning desks, establishing one-way traffic flow
   2. Consider use of plexiglass, two-way video and/or virtual sign-in to control visitors and ensure use of PPE
   3. If available, utilize virtual sign-in to offices
2. Upon completing this assessment, each department head will submit their recommendations to the Vice President overseeing their department, with provisions for adequate safety protocols governing the on-site work. If the Vice President approves the recommendations of the department head, the Vice President will refer the recommendations to the President, who, in consultation with Human Resources and Legal Affairs and Labor Relations, will approve or deny the request to resume on-site work.

1. Close game room, library, and other communal areas; redesign communal seating areas in halls/lobbies to mandate six feet separation.
2. The York College Food Pantry will continue to operate on an appointment basis.
3. Employees who wish to come to campus on a one-time basis (e.g., to retrieve supplies necessary for continued distance learning instruction), in addition to all other requirements contained herein, should continue to adhere to the current posted protocol for campus visits, notifying Public Safety of the intended visit, where they will be visiting on campus, etc.
4. The College will confer with the New York City Department of Education on protocols to be followed in any reopening of the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (QHSSYC) and the York Early College Academy (YECA)

6. Use of Campus Facilities by Third Party Vendors and the ability to maintain social distance.

The College will permit the York College Auxiliary Enterprise Corp. to consider and enter into facilities use agreements with outside third parties, where such agreements are deemed in the interests of the College and its students, and where the vendor has established to the satisfaction of the College and Auxiliary that it is prepared to administer, and capable of administering, such agreements in a manner consistent with the protocols for safe operation contained herein. The College and Auxiliary will follow the procedures set forth in EVC/COO Hector Batista and Office of General Counsel's July 15, 2020, Memorandum re Protocol for Approval of Licensed Use of Campus Facilities by Third Party Vendors (and any subsequent amendments) in executing all such agreements.

Testing capabilities

Addressed in “Testing” section further in Reopening Section

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) availability

Addressed in “PPE” section further in Reopening Section

Quarantine and isolation capacity

Addressed in “Testing” section further in Reopening Section

Quarantine and isolation capacity, local medical capacity, and availability of safe transportation

Addressed in “Testing” section further in Reopening Section

[1] The York College Child Care Center is exempt from the 25% limit, and instead will adhere to guidance and requirements established by the New York City Department of Health.

Does your plan indicate:

• How you will obtain and provide acceptable face coverings to all employees of the institution?
• Whether your campus will be providing face coverings or other PPE to students?
• What PPE is required where and when for employees, students, and other individuals on campus, in accordance with state and local and public health laws and policies?

The College will procure, fashion, or otherwise obtain acceptable face coverings and provide such coverings to employees who directly interact with students or members of the public while at work at no cost to the employee, pursuant to Executive Order 202.16, as amended.  In order to accomplish this, the College has conducted an accounting of the numbers of essential staff, faculty and students who will be on-campus, at least part-time, during the Fall 2020 pursuant to the terms of this Reopening Plan.  The affected department heads have calculated the amount and types of PPE necessary for each student, faculty and staff member, and reported this need to the College Administration, which has made arrangements to stockpile the necessary types and amounts of PPE on campus; said stockpiles are already held by the College or expected no later than August 25, 2020.[1]  The College will monitor the supplies on hand and supplement as necessary.  It is expected that the amounts in stockpile will often be in excess of need, insofar as some students, faculty and staff will choose to use their personal PPE (e.g, reusable masks).

Students, faculty, and staff who enter campus will have acceptable face covering; if they do not have this, PPE will be provided at no cost to the employees. The College will have an adequate supply of coverings in case of need for replacement. Acceptable face coverings include but are not limited to cloth (e.g., homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana), surgical masks, and face shields. Visitors to campus will be limited to emergency personnel and construction workers. The latter has been on campus throughout the shutdown. All visitors will follow the campus protocols for the Health and Safety Screenings, use of PPE, and social distancing.

However, cloth, disposable, or homemade face coverings are not acceptable for workplace activities that typically require a higher degree of protection for PPE due to the nature of the work (e.g., if working with flammable materials or chemicals, ensure face coverings are flame-resistant). The campus may require employees to wear more protective PPE due to the nature of their work, to comply with OSHA standards. Staff performing cleaning and disinfection must use disposable gloves, clean hands immediately after discarding gloves; wear eye protection when there is a potential for splash or splatter to the face; and wear gowns, aprons, or coveralls to protect clothing. Other high-risk employee groups that will be supplied with PPE (i.e., masks, face shields, glove, and glasses) include customer-facing employees, employees who regularly interact with nonemployees, and employees conducting health screenings.

When sitting in offices or enclosed private workspaces alone, employees will not be required to wear a mask or face covering. Employees will be prohibited from using other employees’ personal protective equipment, phones, computer equipment, desks, cubicles, workstations, offices or other personal work tools and equipment. The required COVID-19 Safety Training instructs employees and students on how to don, doff, clean (as applicable), and discard PPE. Such training has been extended to contractors when the Responsible Parties will be supplying the contractors with PPE.

There are limits placed on the sharing of objects, such as tools, equipment, machinery, touchscreens, and vehicles, as well as the touching of shared surfaces; or, individuals are required to wear gloves (trade-appropriate or medical) when in contact with shared objects or frequently touched surfaces as is the case in research and class-based labs; individuals are also required to perform hand hygiene before and after contact.

Guidelines to be followed include:

• Any time individuals come within 6 feet of another person who does not reside in the same household, acceptable face coverings must be worn.
• Employees, students, faculty, and visitors are required to wear face coverings in common areas or situations where social distancing may be difficult to maintain such as riding in elevators, entering/exiting classrooms or student centers, and when traveling around the campus.
• Faculty, staff and students not working in individual offices (i.e. those working in cubicles or on the open floor) must wear masks.
• Employees must wear face coverings when interacting with clients or coworkers within a 6-foot distance and without a physical barrier.
• The College will procure, fashion, or otherwise obtain acceptable face coverings and provide such coverings to their employees who directly interact with students or members of the public while at work at no cost to the employee, pursuant to Executive Order 202.16, as amended.
• The College will have an adequate supply of face coverings, masks and other required PPE on hand should an employee need a replacement. Acceptable face coverings include, but are not limited to, cloth (e.g. homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana), surgical masks, N95 respirators, and face shields.
• Staff performing cleaning and disinfection must use disposable gloves; clean hands immediately after discarding gloves; wear eye protection when there is a potential for splash or splatter to the face; and wear gowns, aprons, or coveralls to protect clothing.
• Other high-risk employee groups that will need PPE (i.e., masks, face shields, glove and glasses) include customer-facing employees, employees who regularly interact with nonemployees, and employees conducting health screenings.
• When sitting in offices or enclosed private workspaces alone, employees do not need to wear a mask or face covering. Employees must avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth when removing masks, and wash hands immediately before and after removal.
• Face coverings should be cleaned by the user or replaced after use or when damaged or soiled, may not be shared, and should be properly stored or discarded. The College will follow CDC guidance on cloth face coverings and other types of PPE, as well as instructions on use and cleaning, including washing and drying instructions. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/cloth-face-covering.pdf
• Note that cloth face coverings or disposable masks shall not be considered acceptable face coverings for workplace activities that require a higher degree of protection for face covering requirements. For example, if N95 respirators are traditionally required for specific activities, a cloth or homemade mask would not suffice. The College shall adhere to OSHA standards for such safety equipment.
• Individuals may use their own acceptable face coverings but employees are not required to supply their own face coverings. Further, employees are not prohibited from wearing their personally owned protective coverings (e.g. surgical masks, N95 respirators, or face shields) as long as they abide by the minimum standards of protection for the specific activity. The College may require employees to wear more protective PPE due to the nature of their work. The College shall comply with all applicable OSHA standards.
• The College will train employees on how to adequately put on, take off, clean (as applicable), and discard PPE, including but not limited to, appropriate face coverings. Such training may be extended to contractors if the College supplies the contractors with PPE.
• Individuals will wear gloves while handling food products for consumption by others.
• Modifications to the workplace will be made where these are necessary to ensure physical distancing between individuals.

Additional guidance for individual components of PPE follow:

• Masks (Cloth Face Coverings)
  • The use of cloth face coverings is required among all students, faculty, and staff when 6 feet distances cannot be maintained. Face coverings must be worn as feasible and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult. Individuals will be frequently reminded not to touch the face covering and to wash their hands frequently. Information will be provided to all students, faculty, and staff on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings.
  • Note: Cloth face coverings should not be placed on:
    • Babies and children younger than 2 years old
    • Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious
    • Anyone who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance
  • Cloth face coverings are not medical personal protective equipment. Medical grade masks must be reserved for healthcare workers, first responders and those performing higher risk tasks that require close contact.
• Gloves
  • Individuals expected to collect or distribute materials throughout the workday (e.g., mail services, cashiers) will wear disposable gloves while handling materials and wash hands or use hand sanitizer after gloves are removed when a handwashing sink is not available.

[1] We have been informed that extra-large gloves are backordered, and are expected in early September.  The College has arranged to stockpile small, medium and large gloves.  Other types of PPE stockpiled by the College include sanitizing wipes, masks, face shields, gowns, shoe covers and eye protection.

Does your plan indicate:

• What screenings and diagnostic testing your campus will conduct for students, faculty, and staff for COVID-19 upon return, especially any individuals with recent travel, particularly from areas with widespread community transmission of the virus?
• Whether individuals will be tested, who will be tested, the frequency of the testing, the method of testing, notification of testing results, and the process for those arriving to campus untested?
• Whether your campus will quarantine residential students upon arrival until they receive testing and a negative test result

It has been the policy since July 6, 2020 that anyone entering campus must have completed the COVID-19 Safety Training and that they submit the New York State Daily Health Screening protocol each time they come to campus, including research faculty, who come to campus more frequently. Anyone stating that they do not meet the criteria of that protocol is not permitted on the campus. Anyone reporting symptoms or recent exposure to someone with the virus is aware of what procedures must be followed via the COVID-19 Safety Training.

Beginning in August, the New York State Daily Health Screening protocol will be accompanied by temperature taking at the door. Any individual identified as having a fever (as defined by the CDC and other health authorities as of the date of this writing, 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit/38 degrees Celsius or greater) will not be permitted to enter the building.

Anyone coming to the campus will be subject to the New York State Daily Health Screening protocol; those who report travel to those areas where COVID-19 is escalating as per the New York State list of vulnerable states will be prohibited from entering campus until the 14-day period of self-quarantine is completed. Determining whether individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms is part of the New York State Daily Health Screening protocol.

At Point of Entry: Supervisory-level employees or health care professionals shall conduct screenings. Personnel performing screening activities will be required to view the NYS screeners training video. Screeners will collect basic information from all employees on a daily basis.

The College adopts and incorporates by reference Section III (A), CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening (See Appendix.)

York College does not have residence halls

Does your plan determine:

• How classes, shared spaces, and activities may be adapted in various phases of return and operations?
• How the considerations presented in the guidance of the document on instructional modules and course scheduling will be addressed?
• Whether your campus will roll out appointment only use of shared spaces, limiting the number of participating in in-person activities at any given time?

Instructional modules and course scheduling

1. In determining which classes will be permitted to be offered in-person, how classes, shared paces, and activities can be adapted were considered. Thus, only those labs that are required for accreditation purposes or where there are no alternatives for hands-on activities would be mounted for the fall 2020 semester. No more than 5% of courses will be offered in-person.[1]
2. 95% of course offerings or more will be online; the course schedule has been coded accordingly. Courses have been converted from face-to-face to WEB. Whether instruction will be synchronous or asynchronous will be determined by each instructor, taking into account the nature of the course content and course learning objectives.
3. There will be no in-person activities beyond the designated classes.
4. Classroom Organization
   1. Small classes will be held in larger rooms, medium-sized classes will move into vast lecture halls, and massive entry-level courses need to be delivered online.
   2. Occupancy limits will be set at no greater than 50% of fire code and seats will be organized to allow for 6 feet of separation between individuals.
   3. Additional modifications that may be applied as appropriate include:
      1. Installation of plastic barriers and guards between students’ desks and instructors.
      2. High-touch communal resources, such as whiteboard markers, erasers and staplers, will be removed or replaced.

• Safe distances where students may gather will be visually marked.

5. Operational Modifications
   1. Sharing of resources between classrooms is prohibited.
   2. All courses scheduled to be delivered online shall be fully remote. If any courses or discussion groups must meet, there should be a maximum or 10 or fewer individuals.
   3. If a course is held in-person, there shall a remote substitute for any quarantined or high-risk students.
   4. Students and instructors must wear masks at all times when not presenting.
   5. For courses which must be held in person, the class shall be evaluated for modifications which will maximize distancing, including but not limited to staggered schedules or cohort groups which attend on different days.
6. Cleaning Protocols
   1. Students will be provided with sanitizing wipes to disinfect their workspace at the end of every class.
   2. Each classroom will be deep-cleaned at least once per day, or after each class for maximum safety.

[1] At the time of this writing, it is anticipated that 4.4% of courses will be offered in-person (78 courses out of 1,762 offered).

Does your plan describe:

• How you will safely reopen the building? Does it address:
  • cleaning and disinfecting,
  • restarting ventilation,
  • water systems,
  • other key facility components 

Cleaning and disinfecting

In order to ensure a clean and safe environment, York College will adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Adhere to hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health (DOH) and maintain logs that include the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection. Identify cleaning and disinfection frequency for each facility type and assign responsibility.
2. Provide and maintain hand hygiene stations throughout the institution, including handwashing with soap, running warm water, and disposable paper towels, as well as an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol for areas where handwashing is not feasible. [1]
3. Conduct regular cleaning and disinfection of facilities and more frequent cleaning and disinfection for high-risk areas used by many individuals and for frequently touched surfaces. Refer to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) products identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against COVID-19.
4. Provide for the cleaning and disinfection of exposed areas in the event an individual is confirmed to have COVID-19, with such cleaning and disinfection to include, at a minimum, all heavy transit areas and high-touch surfaces. Refer to CDC guidelines. 
5. Place receptacles around the institution for disposal of soiled items, including PPE. 
6. Use paper towel dispensers in lieu of air dryers. 
7. Faculty and students on site will be asked to wear gloves at all times. In addition, they will be asked to utilize alcohol wipes to clean/sanitize tools/instruments used during class as well as sanitize treatment tables (plinths) and countertop areas.
8. Provide for the cleaning and disinfection of exposed areas in the event an individual is confirmed to have COVID-19, with such cleaning and disinfection to include, at a minimum, all heavy transit areas and high-touch surfaces. Refer to CDC guidelines.

Restarting ventilation

Restarting ventilation systems is not necessary, insofar as all campus ventilation systems have been continuously circulated and flushed since the campus went to a distance-learning format in March, and will continue to be circulated and flushed daily in the Fall.

Water systems

Campus water systems have been regularly flushed at the high and low end since the campus went to a distance-learning format in March, and will continue to be flushed on a regular basis in the Fall.

Other key facility components

N/A

[1] The College will modify the specific supplies provided as necessary in response to periodic shortages, however, it remains committed to taking reasonable steps to provide specific personal cleanliness supplies as necessary to respond to accessibility needs of individuals mandated to work on-site during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Does your plan have policies regarding extracurricular programs and activities and which activities will be allowed, considering social distancing and risk of COVID-19 transmission?

At this time, there are no in-person extracurricular programs and activities planned by Academic, Student, or Administrative Offices.

Does your plan consider and accommodate vulnerable populations on campus and individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to campus? Specifically for:

• Students to allow them to safely participate in educational activities and receive the necessary support services?
• Faculty and staff member’s specific circumstances?

In any pre-reopening outreach to individuals returning to onsite operations, there will be a statement, reaffirming that, while the College is taking all possible steps to maximize safety, the College cannot give an absolute guarantee of safety from infection. As such, every individual who resumes instruction or work onsite should continue to take responsibility for their own safety, utilizing and applying best practices for avoidance of infection wherever possible.

Prior to requiring faculty, staff or students to return to onsite work, a survey will be conducted, in accord with EEOC guidelines, to identify those individuals with risk factors interfering with return to work.

1. Example of EEOC-approved language:
   1. Directions: Answer “yes” to the whole question without specifying the factor that applies to you. Simply check “yes” or “no” at the bottom of the page:
   2. In the event of a pandemic, would you be unable to come to work because of any one of the following reasons:
      1. If schools or day-care centers were closed, you would need to care for a child; If other services were unavailable, you would need to care for other dependents;
      2. If public transportation were sporadic or unavailable, you would be unable to travel to work; and/or

• If you or a member of your household fall into one of the categories identified by the CDC as being at high risk for serious complications from the pandemic virus, you would be advised by public health authorities not to come to work (e.g., pregnant women, persons with compromised immune systems due to cancer, HIV, history of organ transplant or other medical conditions; persons less than 65 years of age with underlying chronic conditions; or persons over 65).

1. Please check one of the following:
   1. YES __________
   2. NO __________

Those faculty who self-identify as vulnerable and who are scheduled to be on campus for one of the few in-person courses identified will be replaced for those courses and assigned courses offered online.

Those staff who self-identify as vulnerable and who are scheduled to work onsite should be encouraged to request an accommodation.

Those students who self-identify as vulnerable will receive academic guidance for course selection to ensure all courses are taken online; students registered with the Office of Disabilities will receive guidance and assistance through that office. Additionally, the usual campus services available to students such as advisement, counseling, and tutoring among other will be available remotely in the Fall 2020 semester as they have been since the shut down in March 2020.

Where there is need to keep mouths visible (for example, for communication with the hearing impaired), clear masks are preferred to clear face shields, as it has not been established that clear face shields provide the same level of protection as masks. All front desks serving others must ensure that at least one employee utilizes some form of clear mask for disability accommodation.

Does your plan establish campus wide cleaning and disinfection protocols for:

• Classrooms
• Residence Halls
• Restrooms
• Dining Halls
• Computer labs
• Food pantries
• Other Facilities?

Does your plan promote hand and respiratory hygiene among all individuals on campus?

In order to ensure a clean and safe environment, York College will adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Adherence to hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health (DOH) will be followed and maintenance of logs onsite that document date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection.
2. Hand hygiene stations, including handwashing with soap, running warm water, and disposable paper towels are provided, as well as an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol for areas where handwashing is not available or practical.
3. Everyone is encouraged to use cleaning/disinfection supplies before and after the use of shared and frequently touched surfaces, followed by hand hygiene.
4. Equipment is regularly cleaned and disinfected, including at least as often as employees change workstations.
5. Regular cleaning and disinfecting with more frequent cleaning and disinfecting in high-risk areas used by many individuals and frequently touched surfaces, using registered disinfectants on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) list of products identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against COVID-19 continues.
6. Rigorous cleaning and disinfection occurs at least after each shift, daily, or more frequently as needed. In those events of an individual confirmed to have COVID-19, there has been cleaning and disinfection of exposed areas including, at a minimum, all heavy transit areas and high-touch surfaces (e.g., lab tables, elevators, facility entrances, badge scanners, restroom handrails, equipment, door handles).
7. Prohibit shared food and beverages (e.g., buffet-style meals).
8. Until further notice, all bathrooms within the campus are limited to single-use. Signage will be placed to indicate “occupied/vacant.”
9. Responsible Parties must ensure adherence to hygiene and cleaning and disinfection requirements as advised by the CDC and DOH, including “Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfection of Public and Private Facilities for COVID-19,” and the “STOP THE SPREAD” poster, as applicable. Responsible Parties must maintain logs that include the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection.
10. Wherever possible, there will be increased ventilation of outdoor air (e.g., opening windows and doors) while maintaining safety precautions.
11. See also, “Cleaning and Disinfecting” Under Restart Activities.

Regarding specific areas:

Laboratories and Classrooms:

• After each class or lab, all flat surfaces, chairs and other frequently-touched surfaces will be wiped down;
• Sweep, mop floor and remove garbage;
• Wipe down all frequently touched area, door knob, light switches, doors, hand rails, push bars, etc.;
• Note: Custodians will not be responsible for cleaning any electronic component or equipment.

Bathrooms:

• There will be 2 to 4 bathrooms open per floor;
• All bathrooms will be cleaned on an every two hour schedule, with 5 minute of closure for drying;
• All bathroom will be cleaned and wiped down, focusing on all frequently touched area, such as faucets, urinal and toilet flush meters, dispensers and doors;
• All bathroom will be supplied with soap, hand towel and hand dryer;
• Note: bathrooms will be posted with a notice, providing a number to be called if the bathroom is in need of cleaing before the regular schedule.

Food Pantry:

• The pantry is cleaned daily, in accord with New York City Department of Health guidelines adopted by the Food Bank of New York City; see, https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/rii/article81-book.pdf
• Access to the space is strictly limited, to minimize exposure of the food to the virus.

Entrances:

• All entrances will be cleaned on an every two hour cleaning schedule;
• Wipe down all frequently touched areas, doors, handles and glass.

College:

• The college will be cleaned and disinfected after regular school hours following the CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting all areas;
• Hand Sanitizers will be around all points of entry to the college and throughout the college on wall mounts and/or on freestanding poles;
• Note: the heavy cleaning and disinfecting will be done after the last class to ensure that all areas are thoroughly cleaned.

Testing Responsibility

Does your plan:

• Identify who is responsible for the purchasing and administering of testing, and notification of test results?
• Offer contingencies for continual screening of symptoms and temperature checks without testing, if needed?

Faculty, staff and students will be referred to testing locations and centers as needed. There will be no testing on campus.

Screening processes are explained under “Reopening: Testing.”

Does your plan:

• Determine the testing frequency and process? And include (as appropriate):
  • How you might test for cause? (symptomatic individuals, close proximity, travel)
  • How you might test for surveillance to proactively monitor for symptoms of influenza like illness, and
  • Any protocols for group testing?

Faculty, staff and students will be referred to testing locations and centers as needed. There will be no testing on campus.

Screening processes are explained under “Reopening: Testing.”

Does your plan define:

• Metric that will serve as early warning signs that positive cases may be increasing necessitating a change in the reopening plan, and
• Methods to monitor such metrics?

York has a Coronavirus Campus Coordinator who will act as the central point of contact(s) and whose responsibilities include continuous compliance with all aspects of the site safety plan. The Coordinator is responsible for receiving (from Coronavirus Campus Liaisons or other health care personnel), and attesting to having reviewed all screening activities. The Liaison is the party that will receive, compile and report COVID-19 exposures, either via the submission of the NYS Daily Health Screening Template (described under ‘Screening’) or via campus screeners if an in-person screening is completed on campus. The Coordinator will be the contact for faculty, staff, and students if they become sick with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case. Any student, faculty, or staff member diagnosed with COVID-19 by their healthcare provider must notify the Coronavirus Campus Liaison via the template.

The Coronavirus Campus Coordinator will consult with CUNY upon each instance of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in any individuals who are working or studying on campus.  The Coronavirus Campus Coordinator, in consultation with CUNY, will determine whether the response will include a partial or complete closure of the campus, and for what duration.  Factors to be considered will include, but need not be limited to, overall numbers of positive cases on campus, cluster patterns for confirmed cases, and trends in new cases in Queens, New York City and/or New York State.

Before returning to campus, students, faculty, and staff who have been sick with COVID-19 symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19, or have been potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19 must follow CDC guidance to self-isolate or stay home.

Does your plan describe contact tracing in close coordination with state and local health departments used protocols, training, and tools provided through the NYS Contact Tracing Program

The College adopts and incorporates by reference Section III (B), CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening (See Appendix.)

York College will maintain an “authorized visitor” list, which will control individuals on campus on a day-to-day basis.  The list will consist of essential staff scheduled to work on a given day; faculty teaching in-person courses on a given day; students scheduled to attend in-person classes on a given day; and other individuals who have requested and have been granted consent to be on campus by York College Public Safety.  Individuals requesting authorization to visit the College on a one-time basis may do so through the College’s screening application, and must do so at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit.  The list will be physically provided to Public Safety officers assigned to entry points of College buildings.  In order to access the building, individuals must be authorized on this list, satisfactorily completed the daily screening process, and demonstrate a bodily temperature below 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.  The daily lists will be maintained in the College Coronavirus Coordinator’s files.

Does your plan describe approaches for regular health screenings of: staff, faculty, students, and visitors?

Faculty, staff and students will be referred to testing locations and centers as needed. There will be no testing on campus.

Screening processes are explained under “Reopening: Testing.”

The College has adopted two screening tools that must be satisfied before any individual may enter any College building.  First, every visitor must submit responses to the New York State Daily Health Screening Protocol; a “yes” answer to any question on the Protocol will result in the person being denied entry to the building.  Individuals may access the Protocol via an application on their smartphone, or via a dedicated tablet stationed at each point of entry.  The application displays a visible indicator that the person is authorized to enter, and this indicator must be displayed to the stationed Public Safety officer before access is granted.[1]

• [1] Students will need to Download the  Everbridge application (once)
• Using icon button, launches and completes Symptom Checker in Everbridge App., prior to coming on campus
• Students will receives a message: Thank you for completing your Symptom Checker for Entry to your school and classes. 
• If negative (all answers are “No”) Student receives autoreply with Green path and message: You are able to enter the school and classes. The email or screen notification will need to be ready upon entering the facility.
• If positive (“Yes” answers=1 or>) Students will receive an autoreply with Red path and message: Unfortunately, not being able to enter the school or classes. The Campus COVID-19 Liaison and Campus Coordinator will be notified. Using the Mobile App,  Students will prompted to find  COVID-19 testing sites near you.

• Faculty/Staff:
  • Download Everbridge and Launch Symptom Checker, using the same steps as students, including completion prior to arrival. Message received: Thank you for completing your Symptom Checker for Entry to your school and office.
  • If negative – Employee receives autoreply with Green path and message: Being able to enter the workplace. The email or screen notification will need to be ready upon entering the facility.
  • If positive - Employee receives autoreply with Red path and message: Unfortunately, not being able to enter the workplace. The Campus Covid-19 Liaison, Campus Coordinator and HR POC  will be notified. Using the Mobile App,  Students will be prompted to find  COVID-19 testing sites near you.
• Guest/Walk-in Visitors: Upon arrival, they will inform the CUNY Screener.
• The Screener will advise of registration and request their First Name, Last Name, and Email address. The Screener will enter this information into Everbridge as a new contact, will the record type “Guest" and the guest email address as their External ID.
• The Screener will inform Guest that they will receive an email instructing them how to login, and to self-attest using the Everbridge Symptom Checker application. The Screener will then send the guest a link to download the mobile app.
• Guest downloads Everbridge app
• Guest Completes Symptom Checker

In addition, at each point of entry, individuals will have their temperature taken by a touch-free thermometer.  Individuals displaying a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will not be granted entry to the building.

The above screening requirements are mandatory for all students, faculty and staff visiting the College, whether as part of a regularly-scheduled in-person class, regular work schedule, or on a one-time basis.

Containment: Plans for how to respond to positive or suspected cases, as well as preventative policies and practices

Does your plan identify:

• How to isolate symptomatic individuals who are residential and non-residential?
• Where individuals will be residing?
• The support system to be provided including food, medicine, psychosocial, academic, and /or other support, as needed.

Upon learning of a possible case of COVID-19, immediately separate faculty, staff, and students with COVID-19 symptoms (such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath). Individuals who are sick must go home or to a healthcare facility, depending on how severe their symptoms are, and follow CDC Guidance for caring for oneself and others.

In the event of an illness on campus that presents as a possible COVID-19 case, the College will follow the established protocol for an illness or injury. This involves calling 911 for EMT services. EMT will determine how to proceed upon evaluation of the situation.  Such individuals will be isolated in the CitizenshipNOW office in the Academic Core Building Atrium (currently vacant) until EMT services arrive and give additional instruction.

Does your plan identify:

• How exposed individuals (residential and non-residential) will be quarantined away from others?
• The support system that will be providing including food, medicine, psychosocial, academic and /or other support, as needed?

In the event of an illness on campus that presents as a possible COVID-19 case, the College will follow the established protocol for an illness or injury. This involves calling 911 for EMT services. EMT will determine how to proceed upon evaluation of the situation.  Such individuals will be isolated in the CitizenshipNOW office in the Academic Core Building Atrium (currently vacant) until EMT services arrive and give additional instruction.

York will follow the defined protocols for reporting and facility transporting students confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19, as indicated in Appendix - Section III (A), CUNY Guidelines.

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

Does your plan include implementation strategies for cleaning and disinfection of exposed areas, and appropriate notification to occupants of such areas?

• Upon confirmation of a positive case of Coronavirus, the College will make a determination whether the contamination may be contained and treated within a limited area of the campus.  If such a determination is made, the areas identified as potentially contaminated will be closed immediately.
• All such areas will be cleaned and disinfected by the College evening shift employees, including, at a minimum, all heavy transit areas and high-touch surfaces (e.g., elevators, lobbies, building entrances, badge scanners, restrooms, handrails, door handles).
• All such areas will remain closed for a minimum of 24 hours before being reopened, and only after cleaning and disinfecting is complete.

For additional details, please see Reopening: Hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection.

Communication

Does your plan describe how you will share with your campus community the protocols and safety measures taken by the institution?

York College will implement its Emergency Response Protocol as appropriate:

1. Coordinated by the President’ Office, members of the York College community will be apprised of current conditions through the following:
   1. College-wide emails
   2. York College webpage dedicated to the status Fall 2020
   3. Virtual town hall meetings, as needed
   4. Cardinal app – with continued monitoring but Student Affairs for student questions
   5. Social media (Twitter; Facebook)
   6. Texts messages to students, as usage permits
   7. Employ the existing emergency phone chain currently in place when immediate calls are needed
   8. CUNY Emergency alert system (if needed)
   9. Snail mail to capture individuals with technology limitations
   10. It is expected that all members of College leadership will keep their units informed and respond to questions/concerns, which are then brought back to the leadership team for discussion.
2. Communicating potential tracing tracking; and reporting future incidents; incidents are reported in confidentiality to campus COVID-19 coordinator.
   1. College-wide emails
      1. How often do we communicate when immediate action is required?
         1. Key anticipated points when critical messages have to go out:
            1. As stated above
         2. Unanticipated crisis (e.g., first time someone is sick)
            1. President’s Office activates emergency phone chain

3. Signage
   1. Using a particular entrance to the College
   2. Identifying stairwells for one direction
   3. Using elevators for differently-abled and older individuals
   4. Marking distance of 6 feet for lines (e.g., Registrar, Bursar, Financial Aid, etc.)
   5. Wearing masks; proper hygiene; social distancing rules
   6. Bathroom protocol

Shutdown: Contingency plans for decreasing on-campus activities and operations and/or closing the campus

Communication

Does your plan describe how you will share with your campus community the protocols and safety measures taken by the institution?

York College will implement its Emergency Response Protocol as appropriate:

1. Coordinated by the President’ Office, members of the York College community will be apprised of current conditions through the following:
   1. College-wide emails
   2. York College webpage dedicated to the status Fall 2020
   3. Virtual town hall meetings, as needed
   4. Cardinal app – with continued monitoring but Student Affairs for student questions
   5. Social media (Twitter; Facebook)
   6. Texts messages to students, as usage permits
   7. Employ the existing emergency phone chain currently in place when immediate calls are needed
   8. CUNY Emergency alert system (if needed)
   9. Snail mail to capture individuals with technology limitations
   10. It is expected that all members of College leadership will keep their units informed and respond to questions/concerns, which are then brought back to the leadership team for discussion.
2. Communicating potential tracing tracking; and reporting future incidents; incidents are reported in confidentiality to campus COVID-19 coordinator.
   1. College-wide emails
      1. How often do we communicate when immediate action is required?
         1. Key anticipated points when critical messages have to go out:
            1. As stated above
         2. Unanticipated crisis (e.g., first time someone is sick)
            1. President’s Office activates emergency phone chain

3. Signage
   1. Using a particular entrance to the College
   2. Identifying stairwells for one direction
   3. Using elevators for differently-abled and older individuals
   4. Marking distance of 6 feet for lines (e.g., Registrar, Bursar, Financial Aid, etc.)
   5. Wearing masks; proper hygiene; social distancing rules
   6. Bathroom protocol

Shutdown: Contingency plans for decreasing on-campus activities and operations and/or closing the campus

York College is not a residential campus

Does your plan comprehensively describe how to communicate internally and externally throughout the shutdown process?

See Containment: Communication

1. Section III(A), CUNY Guidelines:
   1. Campuses must designate a Coronavirus Campus Coordinator who will act as the central point of contact(s) and whose responsibilities include continuous compliance with all aspects of the site safety plan. The Coordinator may delegate responsibilities depending upon activity, location, shift or day. The Coordinator is responsible for receiving (from Coronavirus Campus Liaisons or other health care personnel), and attesting to having reviewed, all screening activities. The Liaison is the party who will receive, compile and report COVID-19 exposures, either via the submission of the NYS Daily Health Screening Template (described below under ‘Screening’) or via campus screeners if an in-person screening is completed on campus.
   2. Returning to Campus
      1. The following protocols are to be established and publicized prior to the approved return of students, faculty and staff to their campus, and strictly enforced thereafter.
         1. Employees who are sick must stay home or return home if they become ill at work. Make sure that faculty, staff, and students know they must not come in to work if they are sick, and must notify CUNY officials (e.g., Coronavirus Campus Liaison via the template) if they become sick with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case.
         2. Any student, faculty, or staff member diagnosed with COVID-19 by their healthcare provider must notify the Coronavirus Campus Liaison via the template.

• Before returning to campus, students, faculty, and staff who have been sick with COVID-19 symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19, or have been potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19 must follow CDC guidance to self-isolate or stay home.

1. Campuses should remain aware that quarantine of students or employees may be required after travel, per current CDC and NYSDOH guidance.

3. Screening
   1. Campuses must implement mandatory regular NYS health screening templates of their employees, students, and, where practicable, scheduled visitors (e.g., on-campus tour groups), but such screening shall not be mandated for delivery personnel.
      1. Employees reporting to work on campus must be screened on a daily basis.
      2. Unscheduled campus visitors (e.g. members of the public allowed to use campus facilities) should, if feasible, have to complete the template onsite and will be asked to do so before entering a building.
   2. Screenings must identify individuals who should be further tested and prevent employees from intermingling in close contact with each other prior to completion of the screening. The NYS health screening template asks the required three questions as to whether the individual has:
      1. Knowingly been in close or proximate contact in the past 14 days with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has or had symptoms of COVID-19;
      2. Tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days: and/or

• Has experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Refer to CDC guidance on “Symptoms of Coronavirus” for the most up to date information on symptoms associated with COVID-19.

1. Screening template will be conducted remotely via an online link before the individual arrives in-person to campus or work (at or near the beginning of each work or school day), to the extent possible.
   1. Campuses will utilize the NYS Daily Health Screening Template (or a checkbox template modified for CUNY use). Data from the template will be gathered similarly to the data gathering process used by Coronavirus Campus Liaisons.
   2. The information from the template will need to enable contact tracing, and should allow the campus to provide the individual with resources on health care and testing, if applicable.

• The data gathered from the screening template will be reviewed by CUNY Legal for compliance with the relevant provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

1. The template link can be shared via email and linked or embedded on CUNY and campus websites.

1. If an individual answers “yes” to any of the screening questions, the individual is instructed to return home. The campus screeners must immediately notify the Coronavirus Campus Liaison of any affirmative responses.
   1. Any individual who screens positive for COVID-19 symptoms must be sent home to their residence or to the designated isolation or quarantine location with instructions or arrangement for health assessment and testing
   2. The Liaison will immediately notify the Campus Coronavirus Coordinator who must ensure that the State and local health department are immediately notified about the case if the individual tests positive for COVID-19 (and notify the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee). Campuses will also provide the individual with information on healthcare and testing resources, if applicable.
2. In addition to daily screenings, campuses must require individuals to immediately disclose if and when their responses to any of the aforementioned questions changes, such as if they begin to experience symptoms, including during or outside of work hours. Campuses must direct individuals to use the health screening template to self-report symptoms, in addition to notifying their supervisor or advisor.
3. Campuses must identify clearly defined measures that will serve as warning signs that infection may be increasing beyond an acceptable level. See Section ‘Operational Considerations for Reclosing in the Event of an Outbreak.’
   1. Campuses in consultation with the Chancellery/COO’s Office may choose to scale back operations prior to instituting a campus-wide shutdown to help mitigate a rise in cases.
4. In addition to the screening template, temperature checks may also be conducted as a screening method, with those identified as having a fever asked to leave campus and advised to get a COVID-19 test. (Note that NYS Guidelines for Return to Work by Employees require screenings to include temperature checks with a no-touch thermometer.) Such temperature checks must be conducted per U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or DOH guidelines. If campuses implement temperature checks, the following guidelines must be adhered to:
   1. Campuses are prohibited from keeping records of employee health data (e.g. specific temperature data of an individual on a given date or time).
   2. Campuses must ensure that any personnel performing in-person screening activities, including temperature checks, are appropriately protected from exposure to potentially infectious employees or visitors entering the facilities.

• Personnel performing screening activities must be designated and must be a supervisory-level employee or a health care professional. Screeners will be trained using the NYS provided training video (the NYS higher education guidelines allow the training to be done by employer-identified individuals who are familiar with CDC, NYSDOH, and OSHA protocols.

1. Onsite screeners will be provided with and use PPE, including at a minimum, an acceptable face covering or mask, a single pair of disposable gloves and may include a gown, and/or a face shield.

1. Campuses must ensure they are following all screening procedures as recently implemented at CUNY and outlined in the guidance, including instructions to employees on when to return home and when to return to work. (43)
2. Screeners must maintain a record of all staff who are screened, as well as if screening was passed or if the staff member was instructed to return home, provided no other health information is recorded or maintained. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison will receive this information electronically (as will the SVC for Institutional Affairs). The Liaison will secure, review and provide this information to the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee. When not directly in use, all hard copy screening records will be kept in a locked office or drawer. Electronic records will be appropriately protected.
   1. Records must be secured and reviewed on a daily basis.
3. Coordinate with building managers to identify individuals who have completed a remote screening.
   1. Screen individuals at or near building entrance to identify potentially symptomatic visitors.
4. Testing
   1. Students, employees, and staff are encouraged to utilize New York City’s free COVID-19 testing centers. For more information, see: nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/get-tested/covid-19-testing.page.

1. Section III(B), CUNY Guidelines
   1. Tracing
      1. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, the Liaison will immediately notify the Campus Coronavirus Coordinator. The Coordinator will ensure that the State and local health department are immediately notified about the case (and notify the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee). They must also notify the Chancellery/COO’s Office and the Campus Reopening Committee.
      2. In the case of an individual testing positive, campuses must develop plans with local health departments to trace all contacts of the individual in accordance with protocols, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program. Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state law and regulations. Campuses must cooperate with state and local health department contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine efforts.
         1. If feasible, campuses may offer optional tracing and tracking technology (e.g., Bluetooth-enabled mobile applications) to streamline the contact tracing and communications process among their workforce and student body.
         2. Campuses should partner with local health departments to train staff and students to undertake contact tracing efforts for on-campus populations.
      3. State and Local health departments will implement monitoring and movement restrictions of infected or exposed persons including home isolation or quarantine.
   2. Tracking
      1. Campuses will refer to NYSDOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID-19 Infection or Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for employees seeking to return to work or class after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the individuals have had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 (42).
      2. Campuses will establish close contacts with local health departments and establish a relationship with healthcare systems in the area for treating students and community members.
   3. Isolate and Transport Those Who are Sick
      1. Immediately separate faculty, staff, and students with COVID-19 symptoms (such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath). Individuals who are sick must go home or to a healthcare facility, depending on how severe their symptoms are, and follow CDC Guidance for caring for oneself and others.
      2. Campuses must establish procedures for safely transporting anyone who is sick to their home or to a healthcare facility. If you are calling an ambulance or bringing someone to the hospital, try to call first to alert them that the person may have COVID-19.
   4. Notify Health Officials and Close Contacts
      1. In accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, the Liaison will immediately notify the Campus Coronavirus Coordinator who must ensure that the State and local health department are immediately notified about the case if the individual tests positive for COVID-19 (and notify the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee). They must also notify the Chancellery/COO’s Office, faculty, staff, and students immediately of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), FERPA and other applicable laws and regulations.
      2. Through the New York State Contact Tracing Program, inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home or in their living quarters and self-monitor for symptoms, and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.
   5. Tracing and Enhanced Cleaning
      1. If someone is sick and being tested for COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19, the following actions will take place: Individuals who believe they may have COVID-19 and are awaiting test results or have positive test results must notify their Coronavirus Campus Liaison via the screening template.
         1. Through the New York State Contact Tracing Program, contact will be made with the individual to identify all members of the community who were in close contact during the time that the individual would have been contagious (Close contact means physical contact or being within six feet of a person for more than 10 minutes).
         2. Through the New York State Contact Tracing Program, outreach to all close contacts will be made to notify them that they are required to self-quarantine. Quarantine ends when:
            • 14 days have passed since they were last in contact with the individual who tested positive, or
            • The individual who initially tested positive receives a negative test result.
            • People who are not identified as close contacts do not need to self-quarantine.
         3. Once the Coronavirus Campus Coordinator determines that a campus occupant has tested positive for COVID-19, the Coordinator should identify the timeframe for tracing the occupant’s behavior. Campuses should assume that the positive occupant may have been communicable 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms and that occupied areas may be tainted up to seven days after the positive occupant was present in them.
         4. Campuses must trace the areas where the positive occupant was present, when communicable, and, in consultation with the Chancellery/COO’s Office, as well as facilities, public safety, and affected departments, develop a disinfection plan. Staff will close off affected areas, open windows where possible, and wait at least 24 hours after the positive occupant was present before beginning cleaning and disinfection. Staff will follow enhanced cleaning for prevention guidance outlined above and wear full PPE. If an outside contractor is used for cleaning instead, the campus should obtain in writing the following information: scope of work, cleaning methods, re-occupancy guidance, products used, and associated product safety data sheets.
         5. Campuses must communicate the scope of enhanced cleaning and disinfection with facilities, public safety, and affected departments, including subsequent restrictions on accessing areas and applicable signage. Campuses will also determine campus community notification (18). Please see Section I.B ‘Guidance for Specific Spaces,’ for more information on isolation spaces.

• Section 5, Supplemental CUNY Guidelines

These guidelines reflect the process previously followed by the CUNY campuses in closing the university pursuant to New York State COVID-19 response guidance; material in this section is drawn from CUNY correspondence and the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses page.

Governance

Should CUNY and its campuses need to close down operations after reopening, the same governance structure should apply as laid out in the reopening section of the guidelines. Pursuant to that structure, campuses should develop re-closing plans (following the guidelines set out herein). These plans should be submitted to the Chancellery/COO’s Office for review and approval. Decisions to shut down will begin with the Campus Coronavirus Liaisons who will report daily to the Campus Reopening Committee and to the Chancellery/COO’s Office on COVID-19 exposures. This data, along with local and state data and guidance, will guide the campus working with the Chancellery/COO’s Office’s on decisions as to closures. If the CUNY Board of Trustees calls for partial or full closure, campuses should activate their plans.

Given how distinct each of CUNY’s 25 campuses is, and the challenges and pitfalls of trying to craft one-size-fits-all policies for all of CUNY, these guidelines provide flexibility for colleges to tailor them to best serve the individual circumstances and needs of their community. (March 19, 2020 letter from Chancellor)

Circumstances that Warrant Closure

• While CUNY’s intention is to move forward and bring more activity back to campus over time, CUNY campuses must also be prepared to reverse the reopening if the situation dictates (31).
• The Chancellery/COO’s Office and the Campus Reopening Committees will monitor a range of internal and external criteria when assessing whether a ramp down or closure of campuses is required.
• External monitoring criteria should include:
  • Federal, New York State, and New York City regulatory guidelines and mandates
  • Infection/health system status at the local, state, regional and nation-wide level.
  • Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion (e.g., PPE, health system capacity, testing and tracing)
  • Compliance of greater public with COVID-19 protocols (e.g., group gatherings, social distancing)
  • Reclosing status of neighboring universities.

• Internal monitoring criteria should include:
  • Spread of infection on campus (i.e. via data reported by Campus Coronavirus Liaisons - metrics on current caseload, new flu-like symptoms, spread)
  • Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion on campus (e.g. University health system capacity, PPE resources, Testing & tracing resources).
• The campuses should incorporate any guidance on relevant reclosure criteria provided by New York State as part of Phase 4 reopening guidance for Education institutions.
• Campus internal monitoring will be informed by the requirement for students to self-diagnose/report symptoms and faculty/staff to complete the NYS Daily Health Screening Template as well as the regular reports on COVID-19 exposures on their campus that should be provided by the Campus Coronavirus Liaisons to the Campus Reopening Committee and the SVC for Institutional Advancement.
• Campuses must monitor health conditions using the criteria above and look for warning signs that infection may be increasing (11).
  • Per the governance arrangements set out in Part 1, Section B, Coronavirus Campus Liaisons have primary responsibility for collecting accurate and complete data about each individual on their campus with possible exposure to the coronavirus and for sharing that information with the Campus Reopening Committee and the SVC for Institutional Advancement.
  • Campus Coronavirus Liaisons should report information from their campus as well as the online NYS Daily Health Screening Template.
  • Campuses should consider developing dashboards to actively display and monitor the situation on campuses.

Ramp Down Guidance

○ The CDC provides the following ‘Institutions of Higher Education Decision Tree’.

■ With a confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, the campus should consider a short class suspension of up to 7 days for areas in which the positive occupant was present (see CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening, Section III. B) along with building and facility closure to clean and disinfect. The campus should also contact the NYS Contact Tracer Initiative in consultation with local/State officials. Shutdowns may involve rolling campuses closures (e.g. of 14–28 days) as required by internal and external monitoring criteria (A Blueprint for Back to School).

■ Ramp-down activities align with the level of community spread, with minimal or moderate spread requiring higher levels of cleaning and potential closure.

■ Extended closure is suggested with substantial community spread, defined by CDC as large scale immunity transmission, healthcare staffing significantly impacted, multiple cases within communal settings.

• A CUNY campus should expect to only close buildings/areas within its particular campus if the suspected exposure or positive findings that occur reflect confidence in a low level of risk to the wider campus community. This will allow deep-cleaning and disinfection of buildings, premises or grounds. This should be coupled with notifications to potentially impacted students, faculty and staff, and ramp down measures being applied e.g. testing (referrals to City testing sites) and tracing of members of the campus community, moving classes to remote learning, asking employees to work remotely, etc. for the short duration of such limited closures (March 19, 2020 letter to staff from Chancellor).
• In the early phases of the outbreak, New York City experienced substantial community transmission in which individuals who had no known contact with infected individuals tested positive for the virus. Should there be a return of substantial community transmission, the campus community --students, faculty and staff-- should act as if they have been exposed: staying home and monitoring for symptoms. This would require a ramp down or shutdown of CUNY buildings and/or campuses to ensure CUNY does its part to protect the most vulnerable members of the community (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor). Such decisions will be made in consultation with the Chancellery/COO’s Office and local/State officials.
• The ramp down response to the local and community health situation within a campus, a community or the City as a whole, should be made following the governance process set out in Part 1, Section B, of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening. Final decisions on shutting down particular buildings/areas within campuses, individual campuses, or multiple campuses, as appropriate, will be made by the Chancellery/COO’s Office in consultation with local/State authorities.
  • The reopening plan for the CUNY campuses proposes four stages, moving from a soft reopening to full operations as described in the Phasing Section of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening. Depending on which stage of reopening CUNY is in, closure of a campus or campuses may involve reverse engineering to lower stages, up to and including a total shutdown.
• Campuses should actively prepare plans and procedures to be ready to close particular buildings/areas within campuses, or to close campus-wide, in the event of a resurgence of the virus, and return to essential service and workforce restrictions.
• Campuses/Central should expect to move forward and backward between the above stages, and to respond with targeted shutdowns of impacted buildings/areas if a person with COVID-19 is confirmed to have been on campuses, to clean/disinfect/contact trace in consultation with local health officials.
• Campuses/Central should make a checklist of tasks that stopped during the previous shutdown in order to “reverse engineer” the closing and be prepared for any future campus-wide closings.
• Campuses should be ready to deploy distance learning modalities with as few employees on campus as possible, to instruct only those who have been designated as essential staff to report to work, and to transition to distance working for all non-essential staff (March 15, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
  • This should include readiness to deploy targeted distance learning modalities if necessary due to targeted shutdowns of particular buildings/areas impacted by COVID-19.
• Campuses should have effective approval processes to enable staff to request supervisor approval for telecommuting, in accordance with campus telecommuting policies (March 15, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
  • This should include targeted use of telecommuting if necessary due to targeted shutdowns of particular buildings/areas impacted by COVID-19.
  • All supervisors should maintain structures and channels that will enable employees to do their jobs remotely, and to ensure that all hardware and software is fully functional (March 15, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
  • Supervisors should implement remote check-in plans, and all employees should receive details about their work schedules and other expectations of job performance for the duration of the arrangement (March 15, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
• Campuses should have communications plans in place to address questions from students, faculty and staff
• In the event of a campus-wide shut down or a targeted shutdown of particular areas on a campus, school presidents and deans can decide at their discretion what facilities, such as libraries and laboratories, are essential. ○ Managers of CUNY staff who are not able to remotely perform all of their job duties should look for ways to minimize everyone’s potential exposure, including: where possible, combining remote and on-premises work; staggering schedules to enable employees to use public transit during off-peak times; implementing staffing rotations; condensing work weeks, with more hours but fewer days as during the summer; and, for those who are working on-site, utilizing stringent social-distance strategies (March 15, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
  • To minimize the risk to essential staff including ITS personnel, custodians, public safety officers and facilities staff, general access to campuses/campus areas that are shutdown should be limited to the extent possible. E.g. Access to impacted areas should be limited except by appointment. Campuses can be contacted for specific information (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
• Establish protocols for ramping down research and moving to remote work. The protocols should follow Research Continuity guidance on the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses page, including:
  • Securing Personal Health Information (PHI).
  • Policy for Commercialization of Research
  • Requirements for non-Human Animal Research
  • Safety practices for Human subject research
  • Plans for equipment/facilities that require human attention and/or supplies for operation
  • Updating any data use agreements that may be affected by shifting to remote platforms
  • Setting procedures for tissue and other non-IACUC Materials

Distance Learning Guidelines and Tools

General

• At the initiation of CUNY-wide or campus-wide closure, campuses should begin fully online programs and courses. Faculty, students and staff should be prepared to operate in full distance education mode until such time as a decision to reopen is made. ○ Campuses should draw on their earlier experience in which 95 percent of CUNY’s 50,000 course sections were converted to distance learning instruction, and 95 percent of CUNY faculty and staff worked remotely. (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor)
  • Distance learning, and student support services to be provided remotely include mental health counseling; advisement; library, enrollment management, and career engagement services; student life; development; and inclusion programming.
• Move libraries online, eliminate fines, support learning and research.
  • Deliver distance education in accordance with the regulatory requirements provided by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) (including responding to all mandatory requirements such as the MSCHE Annual Institutional Update), and the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Refer to the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses page, section on ‘Accreditation and Regulatory Issues’ for details.
• Campuses should decide which functions need to remain open; these may include dormitories, libraries, research facilities, daycare centers and mission-critical venues that support our students. (March 11, 2020 letter from Chancellor)
• Specific programs, such as those requiring on-site skills assessment or campus laboratory access to meet licensing or accreditation requirements that require interim campus access to support critical programming should be allowed to request approval by a College’s president or dean and be subject to the social distancing provisions. See the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses page, section on Distance Learning & Reopening Plans for details.
• If the course’s learning outcomes cannot ultimately be achieved via distance learning and cannot adhere to social distancing requirements, the courses could resume once the closure is lifted, at which time faculty and students would work to make up for lost time. Given the circumstances, students could also opt to withdraw from the course, or receive a grade of incomplete if appropriate. For in-progress continuing education courses, colleges should communicate options available to students who decide to drop or cannot continue with coursework. See the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses page, section on ‘Financial Aid and Other Types of Support’ for details.

Technology Platforms, Tools & Resources for Distance Learning

• Campuses should continue to support professional development opportunities for faculty and staff on effective online teaching and provision of remote student support services.
• Campuses should continue to purchase tablets and laptops for students who need it in order to continue to fully participate in distance learning. Students should be encouraged to take advantage of current offers by cellular carriers and internet service providers to provide free in-home broadband and mobile hotspot services. For information, see CUNY’s Continuity For Students web page. (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor)
• There are a number of technology tools available to support campus staff who need to work from a remote location. Many of these tools are used every day by college and staff. These systems and services, used by staff and administrators, include on-line access from anywhere to CUNYfirst, DegreeWorks, Blackboard, Microsoft Office 365 for Education (this includes OneDrive and the Cloud versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint), Dropbox and WebEx. There are extensive user guides and training videos available to our CUNY workforce that will allow familiarization with these invaluable tools. (March 19, 2020 letter from Chancellor).
• CUNY’s Virtual Desktop environment and many similar Virtual Desktop environments at the colleges provide students, faculty, and staff with remote access to some of the software products commonly found in computer labs across the University (February 27, 2020 memo from COO).
• CUNY’s academic systems, including its learning management platform Blackboard and Cloud collaboration tools Microsoft Office 365 for Education and Dropbox and EAB Navigate, can be helpful ways to deliver academic instruction in a remote/online manner.
• CUNY’s Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses recommends vendor relationships be examined in the context of a closure:
  • CUNY should consider the need to update contract terms with any vendors used to support telecommuting and virtual classrooms.
  • Determine any Cloud-based Adobe Licenses that need to be expanded for students.
  • Use available assistive technology services to increase the accessibility of online learning
  • Ensure that essential platforms (e.g., Blackboard) are universally compatible with students’ personal devices.
  • Work with vendors to address any data capacity issues that may arise as more users migrate to online platforms.

Academic Policies and Requirements

The section on Academic Policies, Requirements, and Deadlines in the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses, provides up to date guidance during shut-down scenarios on:

• Grade Policy
• Student Progress and Discipline
• Graduation
• Admissions Policy.

Support for Specific Populations: Equity and Inclusion

• Each campus will offer mental health and wellness services to students via tele-counseling and tele-health in a manner consistent with services provided on campus under regular circumstances. Establish whether these may need to be scaled up to meet increased demand.
• Set protocols for accommodating international students
• Determine academic policies for Student Veterans, National Guard & Reservists who may face difficulty in completing their studies if called to active duty.
• Meet the needs and ensure accommodation for students with disabilities. ○ CUNY offers a variety of University-wide guides and tutorials to faculty members to help make their online content accessible to students with disabilities.
  • The CUNY Assistive Technology Services (CATS) and Media Accessibility Project (MAP) support CUNY students with disabilities with software available to students for free at-home use.
  • The guide “Reasonable Accommodations: A Faculty Guide for Teaching Students with Disabilities” was developed specifically for CUNY faculty and includes helpful information in accommodating students with disabilities in distance learning, including Technology in the Classroom. Additional considerations for accommodating students with disabilities can be found at Considerations for Reopening Facilities & Services in Stages.
  • Campuses should continue to activate existing and new training programs to address immediate workforce priorities such as telehealth and medical scribes. Some campuses have the capability to provide online training, complemented by virtual simulation for clinical skills, and on-site competency-based assessment of students in CUNY’s state-of-the art high fidelity clinical simulation center located at Bellevue Hospital. Furthermore, the University’s faculty have extensive expertise and capacity to support any number of short-term training programs.
  • For information on Employer/Employee Resources Related to the Impact of COVID-19 and Adult and Continuing Education Financial Management, refer to the Academic Continuity Guidance on Adult and Continuing Education.
• CUNY Start/Math Start, CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP), and the Adult Literacy Program should once again move their instruction online.
• Pursue campaigns that promote greater engagement with trainings aimed to reduce sexual violence (such as CUNY’s SPARC training).
• Adult and Continuing Education Programs:
• For more detail, refer to the Student Success, Equity & Inclusion section of CUNY’s Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses. (OAA Continuity)

Continuity for Students and Student Life

Housing/Meal Plans/Other

• Dorms and food pantries will stay open. Students should check their campus website for pantry hours of operation. (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor)
• Computer labs and libraries will close, except for limited times in which campuses might need to distribute loaner laptops and tablets. (March 20, 2020 letter from Chancellor)

Athletics

• Athletic events on campus will be canceled until they are allowed to resume per NYS and NCAA guidelines. For the latest information on NCAA guidelines, visit: http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/coronavirus-covid-19

Research, Internships, Clinical Placements

Research

For updated guidance on research-related continuity please refer to the Research Continuity section in the most recent Guidance on Academic Continuity to Campuses webpage.

Internships

For information on Legal Guidance for Internship Agreements, Guidance for Credit-bearing Internships, Guidance for CUNY Students Working in Internships, Guidance for Campus- Based Internships, see the Guidance on Academic Continuity section on Internships.

Clinical Placements

For information on NYS Contact Tracer Initiative, NYC Resource Navigators, Clinical Placements in Education Programs, Health Professions Credit Considerations for Clinical and Field Experiences, and Clinical Placements — HHS Programs, see the Guidance on Academic Continuity section on Clinical Placements.

Fees, Financial Aid and Other Types of Support

Campuses, in coordination with Central, should provide additional support to students in the event of another shutdown. The Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses, Financial Aid and Other Types of Support section and Student Payment Modifications section, provides up to date guidance during shut-down scenarios on:

• Financial Support
• Dorm Fees Policy
• Student Activity Fee Policy
• Student Payment Modifications

Continuity for Staff and HR Issues

Protocol for Establishing Essential Personnel

• Each campus president and dean should determine which personnel are needed on campus. This is consistent with Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order, which defines essential personnel as “anyone whose job function is essential to the effective operation of their agency or authority, or who must be physically present to perform their job, or who is involved in the COVID-19 emergency response.” There are many employees who have been deemed essential, but whose jobs can and will be performed remotely, if so authorized by their supervisor. It is important to note that as we navigate this emergency, the members of our campus communities who can be expected to be classified as essential employees may shift over time, depending on campus, University, city, and state needs. (March 19, 2020 letter from Chancellor)
• If the campus is required to close, the campus should consult with the university on an extension of the notification deadline for reappointments and non-reappointments of adjuncts and non-teaching adjuncts, and adding provisions as agreed with PSC (e.g. allowing full-time faculty and adjuncts to hold office hours through distance technology). Refer to the Guidance on Academic Continuity to campuses, section on Shared Governance and HR Issues, for details.
• It is important to remember that only supervisors have the authority to determine if an employee can telecommute. Therefore, it is essential that all supervisors and department heads, whether they work on the teaching or non-instructional faculty or professional staff, on a campus or at CUNY Central, maintain a steady and open line of communication with their teams to ensure that expectations are communicated in a clear manner. As circumstances are subject to change on the ground, the presidents and deans may change the composition of those employees designated essential to meet the academic and operational needs on our various campuses.

Guidelines for Flexible Work Arrangements/Remote Work Guidelines

• If needed, a full conversion to distance education is intended to dramatically reduce the density of the City and CUNY campuses. To maximize the number of employees who could telecommute or otherwise significantly limit their time on campus, campuses should once again implement flexible work arrangements, even extending them to many employees whose services have been deemed essential. These guidelines have the goal of minimizing faculty and staff exposure to the virus and maximizing social distancing as part of community mitigation strategies set by the CDC. Some of the remote work accommodations include: Flexible scheduling, telecommuting, staggered work shifts and condensed workweeks.
• Managers have been instructed to remain as flexible and accommodating as possible. Furthermore, as these Guidelines are implemented, managers are instructed to work closely with HR directors to communicate clear expectations and maintain continuous support and supervision. Accommodations have been, and will continue to be made, for any employee who is in a high-risk category for COVID-19 or anyone who shares a household with a person in a high-risk category. These individuals, including those who have been deemed essential, should communicate their circumstances to supervisors and the campus Human Resources office. (March 19, 2020 letter from Chancellor)

Communication

In the event that the University may be required to scale back on-site operations or reclose a building, a campus, or the university, CUNY should continue using its two-pronged communications: centralized communications from the chancellery and the provost’s office on policy and information important to the University community as a whole and campus specific communications on information relevant to the campus specific plan.

Communications should include:

• Sharing information with staff, students, and faculty without increasing fear and stigma.
• Communicating steps being taken to prepare and how additional information will be shared.
• Communicating changes to campus schedules or functions, and any resources to help the community adjust to new campus behaviors.
• Communicating information students/faculty/staff can use to protect themselves from infection, and the actions taken by the university to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., disinfection routine, health policies for staff, and health & safety measures in place).
• Establishing formal and informal routes of communication for students/faculty/staff to express concerns, questions, comments, and feedback.
• Useful links to be shared in communications:
  • CUNY.edu/coronavirus
  • CUNY’s EAP at www.myccaonline.com (for employees)
  • New York State Department of Health
  • CUNY’s Health and Wellness Services
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • World Health Organization 

COVID-19 Reopening Committee, established July 2020

• Berenecea Johnson Eanes (President; Committee Chair) 
• Fenio Annansingh-Jamieson (Business and Economics) 
• Linda R. Barley (Health and Human Performance) 
• Maureen Becker (Academic Affairs) 
• Ching See Chan (Environmental Health) 
• Sabrina Johnson Chandler (Human Resources) 
• Donna Chirico (Academic Affairs) 
• Charlene Dertinger (Child and Family Center) 
• Jonathan Hall (English) 
• Lori Hoeffner (Institutional Effectiveness) 
• Claudio Lindow (IT; Campus Reopening Coordinator) 
• Rufus Massiah (Public Safety) 
• Panayiotis Meleties (Academic Affairs) 
• Russell Platzek (Legal Affairs and Labor Relations) 
• Alex Rodriguez (Facilities) 
• Scott Sheidlower (PSC) 
• Earl Simons (External and Community Relations) 
• Dana Trimboli (Chief of Staff; COVID Liaison) 
• Greet Van Belle (CTLET)
• Renee Wright (Nursing) 
• La Toro Yates (Student Affairs/Enrollment Management) 
• Faculty Caucus Representative (To be determined)
• Student Representative (To be determined)

COVID-19 Task Force, established March 2020

• Berenecea Johnson Eanes (President; Committee Chair) 
• Anthony Andrews (Student Activities)
• Maureen Becker (Academic Affairs) 
• Beverly Brown (Financial Aid)
• Ching See Chan (Environmental Health) 
• Jayoung Choi (Counseling Center)
• Marva Frederick (Health Services)
• Sabrina Johnson Chandler (Human Resources) 
• Donna Chirico (Academic Affairs) 
• Sharon Davidson (Registrar)
• Charlene Dertinger (Child and Family Center) 
• Lori Hoeffner (Institutional Effectiveness) 
• Claudio Lindow (IT; Campus Reopening Coordinator) 
• Rufus Massiah (Public Safety) 
• Panayiotis Meleties (Academic Affairs) 
• Russell Platzek (Legal Affairs and Labor Relations) 
• Alex Rodriguez (Facilities) 
• Earl Simons (External and Community Relations) 
• Dana Trimboli (Chief of Staff/COVID Liaison)
• Greet Van Belle (CTLET)
• Yvette Williamson (Bursar)
• La Toro Yates (Student Affairs/Enrollment Management) 

Reopening York College: Working Groups Responsible Parties

• Academic Planning, Instruction, and Faculty Support: Co-Chairs: Donna Chirico & Panayiotis Meleties (Ivica Arsov, Maureen Becker, Robert Clovey, Lori Hoeffner, Greet Van Belle, Valerie Taylor-Haslip, Margaret Vendryes, Members)
• Facilities & Environmental Planning: Co-Chairs: Claudio Lindow & Dana Trimboli (Maureen Becker, Ching See Chan, Charlene Dertinger, Rufus Massiah, Alejandro Rodriguez, Members)
• Student Success/Student Facing Areas: Co-Chairs: La Toro Yates & Greet Van Belle (Beverly Brown, Vivian Febus Cabrera, Sharon Davidson, Marva Frederick, Panayiotis Meleties, Yvette Williamson, Members)
• External Relations & Entities: Co-Chairs: Earl Simons & Charlene Dertinger (Khayriyyah Ali, Linda Ribaudo, Kwame Clarke, Harry Wells, Lester Raphael, Noah Angeles, Ana De Jesus, Patricia Crutch, Ismael Perez, Jonathan Quash, Members)
• Communications: Chair: Lori Hoeffner (Donna Chirico, Marcia Moxam Comrie, Rafael Nunez, Russell Platzek, Members)
• HR/Staff Support: Co-Chairs: Russell Platzek & Sabrina Johnson Chandler (Anthony Andrews, Alicia Franqui, Paola Veras, Members)

Return to Research ad hoc Committee

Donna Chirico, ChairRuel Desamero, Professor Chemistry

Dawn  Hewitt, Director, Research and Sponsored Programs

Dina Lipkind, Assistant Professor of Biology (Chair, IACUC Committee)

Panayiotis Meleties, Provost

Renee Wright, Associate Professor of Nursing