LMU Together: A Path Forward

COVID-19 Exposure, Isolation and Illness

Exposure

LMU strictly adheres the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Guidance for Exposure Management for Institutes of Higher Education and the Health Officer Order.

If you have recently been in close contact* with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you are not required to quarantine per current L.A. County Public Health guidelines, but you must follow these instructions:

• Mask up. Wear a highly protective mask at all times when indoors and around large crowds outdoors through day 10 from your last date of exposure.
• Take a COVID-19 Test. Take a COVID test immediately, then again 3-5 days after your last date of exposure. Report your test results using the LMU COVID Test Submission form. See the COVID-19 Testing section on this page for more information.

* A "Close Contact" is now defined by the size of the venue shared with an infected individual, regardless of masking.

• Classrooms, Offices, Conference Rooms, or Other Similar Sized Spaces (capacity up to 30): Everyone in the room who shared the same indoor air space with the infected person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period is considered a close contact per California and L.A. County Public Health.
• Dining Halls, Lecture Halls, Auditoriums, Larger Suites, and Other Large Indoor Spaces (capacity greater than 30): Close contacts are identified as those who were within 6 feet of the infected person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, OR if the individual is part of an identifiable group (e.g. teammates, club members, cohort, etc.) with the infected person.
• Outdoors: L.A. County Public Health does not consider outdoor exposure, even within 6 feet with or without masks, as close contact.

Illness

If you test positive for COVID-19 after exposure, or if you exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, follow these steps:

• Seek medical attention. Students may schedule a telehealth appointment or message with a Student Health Services provider via myhealth.lmu.edu. Staff and faculty should contact their medical provider.
• Stay home and isolate. See below for isolation instructions.

The potential infectious period is 2 days before the date when symptoms began, or the first positive test date (if no symptoms), through Day 10. Day 0 is the symptom onset date or first positive test date. 

Contact the LMU COVID Support Team for further resources.

Isolation

In accordance with L.A. County Public Health isolation instructions and campus protocol, individuals must adhere to the following isolation instructions:

• Stay home away from others until cleared by the COVID Support Team (see clearance criteria below).
• Before you are cleared, do not not come to campus, leave your on-campus residence, attend in-person classes/meetings except for essential medical care. This includes going to class, work, and eating in the dining halls.
  • If medical care is needed, drive yourself if possible. If you cannot drive yourself, keep as much distance as possible between you, the driver, and other passengers by sitting in the back seat, leaving the windows down and wearing a highly protective mask. If you do not have a mask, wear a cloth face covering.
    
    
• Student residents in university housing are provided with a dedicated isolation space and support, coordinated by Student Housing.
• If someone from outside your household is shopping for you, ask them to leave the food and other supplies at your doorstep for you to pick up after they've stepped back or left.
• If you must share a bathroom with others in your household, do your best to clean all surfaces after each use, and open the window to maximize ventilation if possible.

Isolation Clearance Criteria

An individual is cleared from isolation and may resume normal activity, including returning to class and work when they meet the following criteria:

1. Are asymptomatic OR fever-free for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication), AND
2. Symptoms are mild and improving with no new symptoms

For those who meet the clearance criteria, you must wear a well-fitted mask through day 10 when around others. You may stop wearing a mask on day 11 or sooner if you have two negative COVID-19 tests in a row that were each taken at least one day apart.

IF ASYMPTOMATIC: 
You do not need to isolate at this time, as long as you have no symptoms and you wear a well-fitting, high-quality respiratory mask whenever around other people for 10 days after you first tested positive.* 

IF SYMPTOMATIC:

LEAVING ISOLATION

You may end isolation after if you meet all the following criteria:

• You have been fever-free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medicines), AND 
• You don’t have any other symptoms, or your symptoms are mild and improving, AND
• You wear a well-fitted mask through day 10 

*You MUST continue to wear a well-fitted, highly protective mask until day 11. You may stop wearing a mask before that date ONLY if you submit two negative COVID antigen tests taken at least a day apart. All negative tests results must be uploaded here to be reviewed and approved for clearance. 

COVID-19 Testing

LMU offers free at-home rapid antigen COVID test kits to students, faculty, staff, and contractors. Check the LMU COVID-19 Testing webpage for additional details, including where to pick up complimentary tests, during both operational hours and after hours.

• After exposure, you should take a COVID test immediately, then again 3-5 days after your last date of exposure. Report your test results using the LMU COVID Test Submission form.
• If you do not test within 3-5 days after your last date of exposure (or immediately, if day 5 has passed), you are prohibited from returning to LMU until day 11 per Cal/OSHA guidelines.
• Tests must be FDA-authorized COVID-19 viral tests. A PCR test is strongly recommended. If it is not possible for you to obtain a PCR test in a timely fashion, an antigen test is also acceptable.
• In the event you have previously tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days:
  • If you have COVID-19 symptoms now: You should use antigen tests to ensure you have not been re-infected.
  • If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms now: Testing is not recommended if your first positive test was 30 days ago or less. Testing is recommended (but not required) if your first positive test was 31-90 days ago. If you do test, you should use an antigen test.

Negative Test Results

Monitor your health for 10 days. If symptoms begin, stay home and test again. In the meantime, wear a highly protective mask at all times when indoors and around large crowds outdoors through day 10.

Positive Test Results

If a student, faculty, staff, contractor, or visitor is COVID positive, they are required to report their positive test to the LMU COVID Support Team via the LMU COVID Test Submission form and isolate immediately.*

"COVID Positive" is defined as an individual who has a positive diagnostic swab or saliva viral test for COVID-19, or whose healthcare provider thinks they have COVID-19. Note: an individual who has had COVID-19 in the past 90 days may continue to test positive on a PCR test even when they are no longer infectious. If an individual who had COVID-19 in the last 90 days has a new positive diagnostic test for COVID-19 and is asymptomatic, they are not presumed to have COVID-19 and are instructed to talk with their doctor to obtain a diagnosis.

It is a student's responsibility to communicate the illness-related absence with their faculty and on-campus employer, as applicable. It is an employee's responsibility to communicate the illness-related absence with their manager. The specific nature of one's health status does not need to be disclosed. The COVID Support Team will provide coordination with Student Housing for those who live on campus, and with HR for employees.

* Note: If an individual has had COVID in the last 30 days, they are instructed by L.A. County Public Health and the CDC to avoid testing for 30 days from symptom onset or the date their positive test was collected since they may continue to test positive even though they are not infectious. As such, those who have had COVID in the past 30 days and test positive during that 30-day period are exempt from isolation unless the individual is symptomatic or has been diagnosed with COVID by their physician. The COVID Support Team will work with these individuals to provide individualized guidance.

Vaccine Requirements

Effective May 18, 2023, LMU no longer requires COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty, or staff. This change is aligned with guidance from public health authorities and applies to the original dose and subsequent boosters(s) per state and federal recommendations.

May I ask a community member about their vaccination status?

No, a community member’s vaccination status is a private matter and protected by HIPAA and FERPA. Asking an individual to disclose their vaccination status is not permitted.

Face Masks

Masks are not required on LMU campuses as of August 17, 2022, with one exception below.

LMU continues to align our policies with L.A. County Department of Public Health requirements and guidance from regional, state, and federal public health authorities. As such, masks are still required in the offices of Student Health Services and Student Psychological Services, per county and state guidelines for healthcare settings.

For those wearing masks, L.A. County Public Health recommends surgical masks, N95 and KN95 respirators. Bandanas and scarves are not recommended.

In accordance with Cal/OSHA requirements, LMU continues to provide surgical and N95 masks free of charge to faculty, staff, students, and contractors who work on campus. Westchester faculty or staff may request an N95 or clear mask by submitting this form, while students, faculty, staff, and visitors may obtain free surgical masks throughout campus in Malone, VDA, University Hall, Campus Safety, Burns Rec Center, and WHH Library. LLS campus members can obtain a free mask at the Information Center between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Fridays. 

Air Filtration

Facilities Management continuously ensures campus HVAC systems are performing optimally, per recommendations set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), L.A. County Public Health and Cal/OSHA.

HVAC systems are maintained according to ASHRAE Operations and Scheduling Guidelines for Existing Air Handling Units (AHU) as well as LACDPH and Cal OSHA recommendations. LMU adheres to a national standard code 180 set forth by ANSI (Approved American National Standards Institute), ASHRAE and ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America). This outlines standard practices for inspection and maintenance of commercial building HVAC systems.

LMU Environmental Health and Safety partners with Facilities Management to ensure indoor spaces meet the Interim Guidance for Ventilation, Filtration, and Air Quality in Indoor Environments. Each area’s COVID safety liaison can provide information specific to their areas.

Cleaning

Facilities Management is working continuously to ensure that our campuses remain clean and sanitary, especially in high-touch areas like door handles, restrooms, handrails, seating areas, and more.

• Cleaning wipes are provided to offices.
• Hand sanitizing stations are located at or near all building entrances, elevators, and copy/mail rooms.
• Hand sanitizer is available at or in close proximity to all building entrances; elevator entrances; high traffic service counters; housing building entrances; locker rooms; large open areas (e.g. villages, lounges, atriums).
• All bathrooms and pantries are stocked and replenished on a regular basis with soap and water. Pantries without sinks are equipped with hand sanitizer stations.

Employees are responsible for cleaning and maintaining their individual workspaces, including desks, chairs, and computer equipment. Commonly used surfaces should be wiped down before and after use with products that meet EPA criteria for use against COVID-19 and are appropriate for the surface. Before and after use of shared equipment, individuals should wash their hands and wipe down equipment or supplies. Cleaning supplies that meet the EPA’s criteria for use will be provided to employees for this purpose.

Private Office Cleaning

Private office cleaning services (including vacuuming, dusting, and general cleaning) are by request only. Please email quality@lmu.edu to request a cleaning, or to request supplies (sanitizing wipes and spray, hand sanitizer). All individuals with private offices should place their trash and recycling bins outside their door at the close of business so receptacles can be emptied.

COVID Positive Cleaning Protocols

In the event of a person reporting a positive COVID test result, LMU cleans and sanitizes locations used by infectious individuals within the 24 hours prior to notification to the COVID Support Team. Procedures include wiping all surfaces with a sanitizing disinfectant approved by the EPA to kill COVID-19 and/or use of electrostatic disinfection machines to sanitize all surfaces.

Per Cal OSHA and L.A. Public Health, locations used by individuals more than 24 hours ago are not required to be sanitized, as there is no risk of transmission from droplets after one day.

Frequently Asked Questions