Spring Semester Safety: Staff COVID Testing

To prepare staff for Spring semester at Emerson, we will be sending out emails over the next few weeks with instructions, reminders, and resources. Each email will contain “Spring Semester Safety” in the subject line.

Summary: This semester, everyone working in person, on campus, for one day per week or more, is required to get a weekly COVID-19 test, starting with the first test (called a baseline test). Baseline testing for staff begins on January 15, or earlier if required to return to campus earlier. Weekly testing begins after receiving a negative baseline. All tests must be scheduled at testing.emerson.edu.

Details: Emerson is using the Work From Home field in Workday to manage who is working on campus and who is not (you should check the accuracy of your Work From Home status by following these instructions). If you are working from home, you will see a “Yes” under Work From Home. If you are working on campus, you will not see any designation.

Everyone working on campus must follow these testing requirements:

• Baseline Test
  • What: Your baseline test is your first test of the semester; after your baseline test, you start your weekly required surveillance tests
  • When: Get a baseline test any time between January 15 and 29, in the window of three to five days before you return to on-campus work; you need a negative result in order to return to campus, and Tufts takes about 48 hours to return your result
  • How: Schedule your baseline test by going to testing.emerson.edu or using the Emerson app and selecting a time slot on a day that works for you
  • I need my test earlier: If you need your first baseline test before January 15, you may schedule an earlier test
• Weekly Surveillance Tests
  • What: All on-campus employees are required to get weekly surveillance tests. HR will monitor compliance; this is important in keeping the Emerson and Boston community safe
  • When: Starting the week after your baseline test, you should schedule your first and then ongoing weekly tests
  • How: Schedule your weekly tests by going to testing.emerson.edu or using the Emerson app; you can schedule a test each week all at once, or you can go in every week and schedule next week’s test
• Previous Positive Tests
  • If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days and will be working on campus, you must report that positive test to HR. Per CDC guidance, individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should not test again for 90 days.

Other Safety Measures: Emerson is working hard to keep all students, employees, and vendors as safe as possible. Safety measures and policies in place include:

• Symptom Monitoring – All Emerson community members, working on or off campus, are required to complete symptom monitoring via the Emerson app prior to gaining access to any building on campus. Anyone with symptoms is expected to stay home and contact their doctor.
• Travel Policy – Employees must quarantine for 10 days or produce two negative tests if they travel to a state that is outside of the lower-risk states as designated by the state of Massachusetts. The detailed policy can be found here: Emerson COVID Travel Guidance.
• Testing Compliance – As indicated above, weekly testing is required of all employees working on campus. Employees, their managers, and Human Resources will receive automated reports tracking compliance. If you miss your required test, your tap access will be disabled.
• Contact Tracing – Like last semester, Emerson’s HR team will manage staff/faculty contact tracing for positive cases or contacts. The team works closely with the Massachusetts Contact Tracing Collaborative to ensure everyone gets the needed support and guidance.

Get in Touch

Submit a ticket to HR via the Contact Us button to get help or ask more questions.

Emerson College Human Resources