TO: Campus community
FR: Missy Brunetta, Director for Emergency Services/Associate Risk Manager on behalf of the COVID Monitoring and Compliance Team
Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. This message provides updates on COVID-19 guidance and testing, and the regulatory notice of COVID-19 cases that we were notified of during the winter campus closure.
On-campus COVID-19 Testing Center Schedule
Between January 3 and January 21, 2022, the on-campus COVID-19 testing center will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Denali Gym in the campus Recreation Center. On Tuesday, January 4, testing hours will be 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., and on Thursday, January 6, testing hours will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Hours of operation for the rest of the month will be announced soon. Appointments are not required but pre-registration must be completed before you visit the center. Information and the link to pre-register can be found on the COVID-19 website. The COVID-19 testing center has recently updated their appointment system. If you have an appointment that is scheduled outside the hours of operation listed above, it is no longer valid. Please reschedule your appointment.
CDC Recommendation Updates
Sonoma State follows the Sonoma County Public Health guidelines. Sonoma County has not yet adopted the CDC recommendations of a five-day isolation for COVID-positive individuals who are asymptomatic or experiencing symptoms that resolve themselves. When the Sonoma County Public Health department adopts these recommendations, SSU will begin enacting them. Until then, COVID-19 positive individuals are required to isolate for 10 days from the date of the test (asymptomatic individuals) or from the date of symptom onset (symptomatic individuals). If Sonoma County adopts the CDC recommendations, we will let the campus community know via email.
COVID Cases
Over the winter holiday break, SSU learned of eight individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 after being in one or more non-residential buildings on campus. These individuals were in the following buildings on the following dates and times:
- PE Building/Field House on December 20 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Darwin Hall, 1st and 2nd floors, on December 20 from 8 a.m to 5 p.m.
- Corporation Yard Administration Building on December 20 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Six of these COVID-19 positive individuals are connected to a small social group who had minimal impact on the greater campus community.
The COVID Monitoring team contacted individuals who were in close contact with these individuals prior to or during the winter break, including individuals in any shared office environments. As a reminder, close or direct contact is defined as being within six or fewer feet, with or without a mask, for more than fifteen minutes in a 24 hour period.
Regulatory Disclosures: In compliance with HIPAA privacy rules, SSU will not release any identifying information involving the private healthcare of one of our campus community members. Information on COVID-19 leave and benefit information for employees can be found on the Human Resources website. This notice is sent pursuant to Labor Code section 6409.6
We appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about this exposure or other COVID-19 concerns due to this notification, contact our office at covid.monitoring@sonoma.edu. Additional up-to-date information on SSU’s response on the SSU COVID-19 website. Up to date COVID case data and vaccination rates can be found on the university’s COVID Dashboard.
Our entire campus community wishes the individual a speedy recovery. Stay safe and well.