Safe Return to Campus for Faculty and Staff

07.16.21

Safe Return to Campus for Faculty and Staff
Campus Reopening: July 26, 2021 (Westchester); Aug 2, 2021 (LLS)

Safe at Work: Faculty and Staff Vaccinations

The health and safety of our community members continues to guide our return to campus priorities and protocols. On April 26, 2021, the university announced that all students must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 this fall. To protect the health and safety of our community, we are now asking that all faculty and staff be fully vaccinated prior to returning to campus this fall. We understand that some faculty and staff will choose not to vaccinate for medical, religious, or other reasons. We also understand that some may choose not to disclose their vaccination status. 

Those who are not fully vaccinated or who do not disclose their vaccination status by registering in Vax LMU, will be subject to additional requirements to ensure a safe learning, teaching, and working environment for all. 

Compiling data on the vaccination status of students, faculty, and staff will help us ascertain the vaccination rate of our community, inform future decisions, and mitigate risks. We must remain vigilant because the virus, including highly transmissible variants, remains a public health threat for the foreseeable future. Please continue to follow health and safety protocols as they safeguard the well-being of our community and facilitate our return to normal operations. 

Mask Usage

L.A. County announced that it is reinstating its mandate and requiring all individuals wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status. In alignment, LMU community members must wear masks indoors on our campuses beginning on July 18.

Please note that mask wearing indoors or outdoors does not necessarily indicate that an individual is not fully vaccinated. Due to varying guidance and personal considerations, many fully vaccinated individuals choose to wear masks. We urge colleagues to be respectful regarding mandates and colleagues’ personal choices related to mask wearing.

Faculty and Staff Vaccination Guidelines

Please note that LMU’s protocols are aligned with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and from state and county public health authorities.

1. As soon as possible, all faculty and staff are requested to submit their vaccination records in Vax LMU.  This information allows us to more efficiently and effectively manage safety protocols.
2. Submission of vaccination status is requested for ALL faculty and staff, even those who have been approved to work 100% remotely for fall 2021.
3. If you are not vaccinated but become fully vaccinated at a later date you may update your status.
4. Faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated will:

a. not be subject to routine COVID-19 testing, and
b. not be required to isolate/ quarantine if exposed.

Faculty and staff are to remain at home or leave campus immediately upon developing COVID-19 symptoms, and contact COVID Support at covidsupport@lmu.edu or at 310.568.6868 immediately. 

5. Faculty and staff who are not fully vaccinated or who have not submitted their vaccination status are:

a. required to complete mandatory COVID-19 testing twice weekly on non-consecutive days that must be completed at Westchester (for Westchester/Playa Vista employees) or LMU Loyola Law School (for LLS employees) campus testing center;
b. required to wear a face mask indoors unless in a private office with the door closed, whether or not this is required by public health mandate;
c. required to distance when a face mask is removed (e.g., eating or drinking);
d. required to adhere to isolation/quarantine protocols as appropriate.

Faculty and staff are to remain at home or leave campus immediately upon developing COVID-19 symptoms, and contact COVID Support at covidsupportteam@lmu.edu or at 310.568.6868 immediately.  

Testing Protocols

1. Faculty or staff who are required to COVID-19 test weekly may be excused for the following reasons:
   a. working remotely 100 percent and not participating in any in-person meetings for the week in which COVID-19 testing is missed;
   b. sick leave;
   c. approved vacation leave;
   d. university travel or participation in off-site meetings outside of the Los Angeles area;
   e. other approved leaves (approved CFRA/FMLA leave, jury duty, bereavement leave, care for family member, personal leave or other excused absence from work);
   f. diagnosis of COVID-19 in the last 90 days. 

It is the responsibility of each faculty and staff member who is subject to the university’s COVID-19 testing protocol to submit the Request to Be Excused from COVID Testing Form in a timely manner.

2. Faculty and staff will receive notification of noncompliance (a missed COVID-19 test) each Friday from the COVID-19 Testing Team. Notice of noncompliance will also be provided to the appropriate unit head for follow-up.

3. Adherence to COVID-19 testing protocol is essential to our community’s health and safety. For faculty and staff who are required to COVID-19 test, repeated failure to comply with COVID-19 testing protocol and reporting requirements may result in disciplinary action, up to and including temporary suspension without pay and compliance with COVID-19 testing will be required to restore pay and access.

4. For faculty and staff approved to work 100 percent remotely for fall 2021 there is no requirement to submit each week. If the faculty or staff member’s work status changes and reporting to campus is anticipated then all of the COVID-19 testing requirements described in these protocols apply, including submission of the excuse form completed each week before Friday (available here).

The following outlines COVID-19 testing schedules.

a. A week is defined as Sunday through Saturday where a faculty or staff member is scheduled for at least one work day on campus or participating in local, off-site meetings;
b. Regardless of the number of days working on campus, faculty and staff not working 100 percent remotely must COVID-19 test twice per week (on non-consecutive days, ideally 3-4 days apart,) each week;
c. Faculty and staff required to submit a Request to Be Excused from COVID Testing Form each week that they are not on campus or participating in in-person meetings.

The above guidelines are subject to change or modification at the university’s sole discretion based upon new regulations, and information or guidance from the CDC or public health authorities.