Weekly COVID-19 Data from Connors State College
Protect Yourself
CSC asks that you take extra precautions to protect your health including frequent handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, avoiding sharing utensils or drinks, avoiding contact with sick people, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth and maintain good sleep and dietary habits. We encourage you to check the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites to find updated guidance. If you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, you should remain home, notify your supervisor or instructors, and not report to work or class.
Face Coverings
All CSC students, employees, and visitors may wear a cloth facial covering (mask) upon entering any campus building and when near or are encountering others. COVID-19 can be spread when people are asymptomatic, which means they do not know they are sick yet. Wearing facial coverings has been shown to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to others.
CSC strives to be a safe place to work and study, and taking this step creates a safe environment for all of us as advised by the CDC. As a reminder, facial coverings do not replace the need to maintain social distancing, frequent handwashing, and rigorous cleaning and disinfecting routines. This action is not just about keeping you safe, it is about showing that you care about your fellow Cowboys and are doing your part to keep our campus community safe.
Updated CDC Mask Guidelines (07/21)
To reduce the risk of being infected with the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others, and in keeping with recently updated CDC guidance, CSC encourages the use of masks indoors in public, especially in situations in which social distancing is not possible and for activities with close contact with others.
Masking is recommended by the CDC even if you are fully vaccinated. You might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.
At this time under Oklahoma law (EO 2021-16 and 70 O.S. 1210.189), we are not permitted to require the use of masks on campus.
What to do if you experience COVID-19 symptoms and must quarantine
Local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions. The Muskogee County Health Department shared the following guidance with CSC in July of 2021:
CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. However, based on local circumstances and resources, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable alternatives.
- Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
- When diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available, then quarantine can end after Day 7 if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation (e.g., in anticipation of testing delays), but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health encourages anyone who returns from an area with travel restrictions, or anyone who is experiencing flu-like symptoms, to self-quarantine for 14 days and report any concerning symptoms to a health care provider or call the OSDH Call Center at 877-215-8336. Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure.
Isolation
Persons with COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:
- At least 10 days* have passed since symptom onset and
- At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever
reducing medications and
- Other symptoms have improved.
Vaccinations
If you’ve been fully vaccinated:
- You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
- To reduce the risk of being infected with the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
- You might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.
- If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
- You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
- You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
- You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
- You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
- You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
- If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive.
Additional Information
We will continue to provide updates as the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience as decisions regarding this matter are made. The situation is being monitored. If any changes are to take place, employees and students will be notified via email as soon as any decisions occur. Thank you for helping prepare for changes in operations.