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Southwest reinstates mask mandate

By Diana Fedinec

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For the first time since the pandemic erupted in March 2020, Southwest returned to full on-campus operations for the 2021 fall semester. College officials are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for students, employees and guests. Safety protocols are in place and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, face masks are required indoors.  As an added precaution, Plexiglass shields have been installed in high traffic areas at all locations. 

Vaccinations are encouraged, especially given the surge of the Delta variant. First identified in December 2020, the Delta variant is more contagious than previous strains and may cause more severe illness (especially in unvaccinated persons).  Fully vaccinated persons with Delta breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others, but for a shorter period of time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccination remains the best protection against the Delta variant. 

Do the right thing to “fight the virus” and protect one another by wearing a mask and adhering to the College’s protocols. 

SOUTHWEST COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

Mask Wearing

In accordance with Shelby County Health Department’s health directive No. 24, at this time, all students, employees and visitors are required to wear masks at all campus locations. The College is providing free masks at sanitizing kiosks located at all campuses.

Social Distancing

Social distancing of a minimum of 3- 6 feet is encouraged.

Sanitizing Areas

Sanitizing wipe buckets are prominently displayed around campus. Take a wipe and clean desks, doorknobs and other areas you touch. Don’t forget to wash your hands often. The custodial team will be cleaning high-touch surfaces in common areas every two hours and classrooms after each class has ended. 

Self-Reporting Covid-19

Students and employees are requested to self-report if they have tested positive for COVID-19 by filling out Southwest’s online .SELF-REPORTING FORM The form is conveniently accessible on our website at southwest.tn.edu – just click the “Self-Report COVID-19” link at the top of the homepage. If you have been exposed to Covid-19 and are unvaccinated, please get tested immediately. For those who are vaccinated, CDC guidelines recommend waiting three to five days before getting tested even if you don’t have symptoms.  If you test positive for Covid-19, be sure to notify your instructor or supervisor, fill out the self-reporting form and follow CDC quarantine guidelines.

Assistance with Self-Reporting

  • Employees with COVID-19-related conditions or concerns should fill out an online self-report form and notify Southwest Human Resources as soon as possible at hr@southwest.tn.edu or 901-333-5340.
  • Students with COVID-19-related conditions or concerns should fill out an online self-report form and contact instructors for guidance regarding class attendance and assignments. Students also may contact the College’s Counseling Services Office at kweddington@southwest.tn.edu or 901-333-5121.

Infectious Disease Policy

In accordance with the College’s infectious disease policy, please do not come to campus if you:

  1. Are experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms,
  2. Are waiting for COVID-19 test results,
  3. Are in isolation or quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 test result or exposure; or
  4. Have reason to believe you have come in contact with the virus.

Contract Tracing and Notification 

Once you complete Southwest’s online self-report form indicating a positive Covid-19 test result, the College will proceed with the following contract tracing and sanitization measures.   

  1. If you have been on campus within the last 10 days prior to the test, college representatives will interview you to find out where you have been on campus and who you have been in contact with while on campus. This process is called contact tracing. We will notify those individuals of a possible COVID-19 exposure and recommend each individual to get tested, seek necessary medical care and follow CDC quarantine guidelines.
  2. If you were on campus within 24 hours of your self-report, the spaces you visited while on campus will be closed down immediately and the custodial team will disinfect the area. If it has been more than 24 hours since you visited campus, the areas you visited will not be closed down as they have already been disinfected several times since your visit. 

If you are identified as potentially exposed to an individual who self-reported as testing positive for COVID-19, you will be notified directly during contact tracing. Southwest notifies the Shelby County Health Department of positive COVID-19 cases.  Otherwise, the identity of those who self-report is kept confidential, and only divulged to those who are responsible for performing contacting tracing and reporting for the College. However, as part of our commitment to transparency, we do announce COVID-19 cases when an area in a facility must be taken out of service for disinfection. In addition, the College is tracking the number of verified COVID-19 cases on campus and reporting these numbers to Tennessee Board of Regents each week. A dashboard with our campus case numbers will be available on the coronavirus section of the College’s website. 

HEALTH AND SAFTEY RESOURCES

Sign Up for Southwest Safety Alerts
Southwest Safe Community Pledge
Know Before You Go – Southwest’s Back to Campus Plan
Coronavirus Information and Resources – Southwest’s Covid Site
Shelby County Health Department
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)