Some employees of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) returned to campus this week as the second phase of the school’s three-phase Return to Campus reopening plan began.
In late March, most of the medical school’s employees moved from working on the institution’s campus to completing tasks from their home locations after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice issued a stay-at-home order for all state residents. Justice’s change to a “safer-at-home” order in late April coincided with Phase 1 of WVSOM’s Return to Campus plan, which asked employees to continue to work from home unless performing duties that were essential or could not be carried out remotely.
Phase 2 of WVSOM’s reopening plan allowed designated employees to return to campus on June 9, marking the first time some employees had been on campus since public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were established. All employees returning to the Lewisburg campus or to an office in the school’s Statewide Campus system are required to conduct daily symptom and temperature monitoring, practice social distancing and wear face masks when unable to physically distance themselves from others.
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., said the well-being of the school’s community and the surrounding community are at the heart of the reopening plan his administration has developed.
“We are phasing in a return of on-site employees in a coordinated process to ensure appropriate physical distancing, the availability of personal protective equipment, community testing capabilities and adherence to public health guidelines,” Nemitz said. “Our policies for responding to this pandemic will continue to be rooted in the safety of students, faculty, staff and the communities we serve and live in while fulfilling our vital mission.”
The plan’s second phase also permits WVSOM employees who need to work from home and are successfully completing their job duties to continue doing so as approved by their supervisor. Additionally, this phase allows individual departments to schedule partial staffing on alternating days to enable social distancing in areas with large common workspaces; stagger the beginning and end of the work day to reduce the number of employees gathered at entry and exit points; or temporarily relocate an employee to a separate office in cases of shared offices.
Out-of-state business travel continues to be suspended, and access to campus buildings remains limited to employees. WVSOM campus service workers are disinfecting high-touch surfaces daily.
The start date of the third and final phase of the reopening plan, which will allow all employees to return to campus, has not yet been determined, but is anticipated to occur in early July prior to the return of students to campus later in the month. All first- and second-year students will be tested for COVID-19 upon returning to campus, and have been asked to self-isolate and self-monitor before classes begin.
WVSOM administration continues to monitor state and federal recommendations for higher education institutions on safely returning to work and will adjust policies and plans as necessary.
During all phases, employees who are sick with respiratory symptoms will be required to seek medical assistance and avoid returning to campus until the symptoms resolve. Those with symptoms potentially related to COVID-19 will not return to campus until cleared by a health provider. All employees are to follow public health guidelines of washing their hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
WVSOM maintains a page on its website devoted to pandemic-related developments in Greenbrier County at www.wvsom.edu/News/Coronavirus.