At UMB, individuals with active respiratory illness symptoms should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and not report to campus or in-person activities.
On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance on preventing the spread of respiratory illness for non-health care settings. Students, faculty, and staff working or participating in educational activities in health care facilities must continue to follow that organization’s COVID-19 isolation requirements and any other related guidance.
For non-health care settings, the CDC’s guidance on Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick is no longer specific to COVID. Instead, the CDC’s guidance is for all respiratory illnesses. These include but are not limited to COVID, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the common cold.
According to the CDC, respiratory illness symptoms “include but are not limited to chest discomfort, chills, cough, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, fatigue [tiredness], fever or feeling feverish, headache, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, vomiting, weakness, wheezing.”
The CDC’s new guidance acknowledges that individuals recovering from a respiratory illness, and those who test positive for a respiratory illness but have no symptoms, are typically less contagious but can still transmit disease. Hence the need to follow the precautions listed below.
Respiratory illness symptom(s) and a fever:
- The CDC’s new guidance recommends that you stay home and away from others while you have symptoms of a respiratory illness.
- You may resume activities once symptoms improve AND you are fever-free for 24 hours without medication if you wear a mask and physically distance for the next five days when around individuals indoors.
- If you have symptoms that do not improve after your fever ends or your fever starts after your symptoms end, please see the CDC’s Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick for further guidance on when you can resume activities and precautions to follow.
Tested positive for a respiratory illness but have no symptoms:
- If you test positive for a respiratory virus but do not have symptoms, the CDC’s new guidance recommends you wear a mask and physically distance for the next five days when around individuals indoors.
UMB has upgraded the filters used in our ventilation systems to reduce the potential spread of respiratory viruses. For your home, the CDC recommends taking steps to increase ventilation when you cannot effectively isolate from others. Actions the CDC recommends for increasing ventilation in your home include, where possible:
- Opening windows or doors.
- If your home has a central heating, ventilation, and/or an air conditioning system with a filter, setting the fan to the “on” position instead of “auto” and changing your filter every three months or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Using a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaner.
- Moving activities outdoors, where airflow is best.
UMB’s Guidance
Students, faculty, and staff working or participating in educational activities in health care facilities must continue to follow that organization’s COVID isolation requirements and any other related guidance.
At UMB, individuals with active respiratory illness symptoms should follow the CDC guidance and not report to campus or in-person activities. Students should contact their student affairs dean and employees should contact their supervisor regarding any school or department policies regarding absences and whether alternative options exist for engaging in work or educational activities.
Individuals whose symptoms are improving and who are fever-free for at least 24 hours (without the aid of medication) or who have tested positive for a respiratory illness but do not have symptoms have the following options:
- If you are an employee, telework if possible. If you are a student, coordinate with your professors or student affairs team about how to make up work.
- If telework is not an option, you may use your accrued leave, including sick leave, if applicable, during this period.
- If you must be on campus, wear a mask and practice physical distancing for the next five days.
Please continue to practice good hygiene by covering your coughs and sneezes and periodically washing or sanitizing your hands. Although UMB encourages the use of at-home test kits for COVID, the CDC’s new guidance is for all respiratory illnesses, so you should still follow the masking and physical distancing practices outlined above even if you test negative for COVID.
Students who are sick or test positive for a respiratory illness can contact their health care provider or Campus Health at 667-214-2233 for further guidance.
Employees who are sick or who test positive for a respiratory illness should contact their health care provider for further guidance.
If you have non-medical comments or questions, please send them to umbpoh@umaryland.edu.