COVID-19 Symptoms and Close Contacts Protocol & Support for Students

Exposure to COVID-19 can pose a serious risk to the health of the individual and those they may come in contact with.

Students who tested positive for COVID-19 during summer break

Be sure to notify the Office of Student Affairs by completing this form prior to your return to campus. This will allow our team to partner with Student Health Services for your COVID-19 testing exemption and support needs.

Students experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 

  1. Upon identifying the need for care, be sure to wear a well-fitted mask, limit your contact with others, return to your room/apartment, and do your best to stay away from community members until you receive your test results. A list of symptoms can be found on the Healthy Pitzer daily screening tool.
  2. Symptomatic students are required to test within 48 hours from the onset of symptoms.
  3. Any student provided a recommendation to test by a provider should get tested immediately. If they are experiencing barriers to testing, they should contact Student Health Services directly (909.621.8222) or Student Affairs On-Call Dean (call Campus Safety at 909.607.2000) for support. 
  4. During business hours, call Student Health Services directly (909.621.8222). They will ask you to describe your exposure and symptoms. If warranted, they will ask you to come in to be tested for COVID-19, or they may facilitate the test remotely.
  5. After hours/on weekends, please contact 7C.Health to speak with a medical provider. Be sure to ask the 7C.Health medical provider whether you need to seek testing earlier via an Urgent Care or Emergency Room, or if you should wait until SHS is open for testing.
    • SHS COVID-19 testing is available during normal business hours, and students may call SHS (909.621.8222) the next business day for testing access coordination.
    • In the case of a medical emergency or if it is determined by 7C.Heatlh that you need access to testing after hours/on weekends or require medical transportation assistance, please call Campus Safety at 909.607.2000 so that the On-Call Dean can extend support to you.
  6. Test results may take 6-24 hours to process.
    • Before test results are known, please limit contact, wear a mask, wash hands, etc.
    • Student Affairs will be informed by SHS of positive test results.

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19

  1. Residential students should please self-isolate IMMEDIATELY. You should expect to hear from the Office of Student Affairs. If you have received your positive test result after 7 p.m., you will likely hear from the Dean of Students office soon after 9 a.m. the following morning. If you have an urgent medical need, please call Campus Safety at 909.607.2000, or dial 911 in case of a medical emergency.
  2. Upon receiving test results from SHS/medical staff, Student Affairs will be informed of medical next steps and instructions for student isolation.
  3. SHS contact tracing team and a member of the Student Affairs Pitzer COVID Care Team will reach out to you to coordinate next steps.
  4. Students will be instructed to pack a “go bag” of items and will receive an email with information on isolation housing, what to bring, and how to check in. Students will also receive student support, academic accommodations support, mental health and wellbeing resources, and personal supportive outreach from a member of our Pitzer COVID Care Team. Please note our team will work closely with students to complete a waiver to isolate off-campus with friends or family or to isolate with a peer whenever possible (and, if necessary, based on resource availability). We also work closely with students in the event that a student should need to isolate in place.
  5. Students who receive a positive test or are under isolation orders from a medical provider or contact tracer must remain in their isolation space at all times until released from isolation to return to campus housing and resume normal campus activities. They may leave the isolation space only to seek medical care, as per LA County isolation guidelines. Students will be permitted to take occasional pre-approved walks outdoors at a designated space for some exercise and air to support mental health and wellbeing. Students with approval to leave isolation for the sole purpose of seeking medical care or for exercise must avoid contact with other people and wear a well-fitting mask at all times when outdoors.
  6. SHS will be coordinating contact tracing to identify “close contacts” to persons diagnosed with COVID-19. Students are required to be truthful and fully participate in the contact tracing process.

Testing Out of Isolation Procedure

  • Student can schedule a rapid antigen test with SHS on Day 6 or later of their isolation period. If this first test is positive, student must return to their isolation housing to continue isolation. Student then has an option to schedule a second rapid antigen test with SHS to be done no earlier than 48 hours after the first rapid antigen test. If this second rapid antigen test is also positive, student must complete the full 10-day isolation period without eligibility for any further rapid antigen testing.
  • A student testing negative with SHS on the rapid antigen test any time on Day 6 or later during their isolation period will be released early from isolation, consistent with current public health guidance. Any student receiving early release from isolation MUST still continue to wear a well-fitting mask at all times while indoors AND outdoors for the full original 10-day isolation period as per public health guidance, with the exception of periods where they are actively eating/drinking or sleeping.

Instructions for Students Who Complete a 10-Day Isolation Period

Students will be contacted by the SHS contact tracing team on Day 11 to determine if student has met criteria for release from isolation. Currently, public health requires that the student has not had a fever within the past 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine and are either asymptomatic or overall feeling better from their symptoms in order to meet criteria.

  • SHS will notify Student Affairs of student release from isolation. Student Affairs will follow up with you to confirm your release and will notify your faculty.

Students who are determined by contact tracing to be a “close contact” with a positive case are generally NOT required to quarantine, per current public health guidance

  1. They are, however, required to test immediately via Student Health upon notification of being a “close contact” and then again three to five days after their last contact with the positive case if the first test is negative.
  2. Close contacts are also REQUIRED to wear a well-fitting mask at all times while around others (both indoors and outdoors) for 10 full days after their last contact with a positive case. 
  3. Close contacts are also required to monitor for symptoms for 10 full days from their last contact with the positive case, and if they become symptomatic, they are required to test once again immediately upon development of symptoms. In this circumstance, students will be able to attend class with a well-fitting mask unless they receive a positive test result of their own.
  4. Roommates/suitemates will be contacted via the Student Health Services contact tracing process if they have been identified as a close contact after a diagnosis is received. 
  5. If a student believes they are a close contact but has not been contacted by SHS, they are encouraged to reach out to SHS during business hours or to complete the Pitzer COVID-19 Concern form here so that Student Affairs staff can help follow up with SHS. 
  6. Any transportation needed from beginning to end of potential COVID-19 exposure will be coordinated through Student Affairs and may be done via medical transport. 
  7. More information about a student’s time in isolation can be found here. 

Students living off-campus

Please isolate yourself IMMEDIATELY. You can find LA County’s isolation instructions at: https://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidisolation/. If you need assistance or help with resources, you can also call the LA County hotline at 1.833.540.0473, 7 days a week, 8 a.m.–8:30 p.m. Please be sure to complete Pitzer’s COVID-19 Concern form to initiate next steps for access to resources available (i.e., academic accommodations, mental health resources, etc.). 

Any student who believes they may have been exposed to COVID-19

SHS will be coordinating contact tracing to identify “close contacts” to persons diagnosed with COVID-19. 

  • Students are required to be truthful and fully participate in the contact tracing process. 
  • Students who are determined by contact tracing to be a “close contact” with a positive case are generally NOT required to quarantine, per current public health guidance.  
  • They are, however, required to test immediately via Student Health upon notification of being a “close contact” and then again three to five days after their last contact with the positive case if the first test is negative.   
  • Close contacts are also REQUIRED to wear a well-fitting mask at all times while around others (both indoors and outdoors) for 10 full days after their last contact with a positive case.  
  • Close contacts are also required to monitor for symptoms for 10 full days from their last contact with the positive case, and if they become symptomatic, they are required to test once again immediately upon development of symptoms. In this circumstance, students will be able to attend class with a well-fitting mask unless they receive a positive test result of their own.  
  • Roommates/suitemates will be contacted via the Student Health Services contact tracing process if they have been identified as a close contact after a diagnosis is received. 
  • If a student believes they are a close contact but has not been contacted by SHS, they are encouraged to reach out to SHS during business hours or to complete the Pitzer COVID-19 Concern form here so that Student Affairs staff can help follow up with SHS.