Casey Peterson: Right here.
Casey Peterson: Are you seeing the PowerPoint screen.
Okay.
Mike Borr: Think we have
Mike Borr: The past couple of these have allowed a minute or so and Christy. If you can let me know when it looks like the the enrollees are dropping off and we should begin
kristi steinmann: Alright, I've started the recording. I think you guys can get started. Whenever you're ready.
Mike Borr: Alright, thank you. Thank you all for joining us for those that I haven't yet formally met I am might bore and I serve as the director of university police and Safety Office.
Mike Borr: And have been coordinating a few different groups on campus that meet and have been working through all the different situations and scenarios that have presented themselves as the Copa 19 pandemic is progressed.
Mike Borr: I have a number of people that are joining me today and we should be considered co equals in this presentation because each of us is carrying kind of our own content related to testing and how we're providing support to the the community. When a person is determined to be positive.
Mike Borr: I have Laura astroland here and she is the Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management the Dean of Students Casey Peterson is also joining us
Mike Borr: As well as the director. Yeah, the director of the Student Health Service Patty Dirk, and unfortunately she will not be able to be with us for the whole session so Kim Larson will be pinch hitting for her as this progresses.
Mike Borr: Before we begin, I'm going to give an opportunity for Laura to just introduce her side of the house because those others are all in her area. So Laura, if you have a few comments to say
Laura Oster-Aaland: Oh, thanks. I'm Casey Peterson Dean of Students, it will be taking on a good portion of the presentation as well as Patty Dirk Director of Student Health Service and when, as Mike said we're pleased to be with you today. One thing I do want to do is publicly thank patty.
Laura Oster-Aaland: And Kim, the student health service has been really on the front lines of this since March testing students preparing figuring out the best health care protocols. And so I think you'll see today, some of the the fruits of that labor and and how we're really positioned to help our students.
Mike Borr: Thank you.
Mike Borr: So what we're here to talk about today is related to testing and in case if you could advance that I've appreciate it. Um, nope, go back one.
Mike Borr: So these are the topics that will be will be covering
Mike Borr: I'm going to start off by describing the university systems statewide testing that they have arranged. We are working in conjunction with them for a number of locations in the city of Fargo.
Mike Borr: And I'll go through some of the details on that as well as the outside events.
Mike Borr: Will also talk about
Mike Borr: Reporting to NDS you, how do we become aware, should a person or a member of our community test positive and that's happening, a number of different ways. We'll be talking about a new effort that will be rolling out very shortly. Here I'm thinking sometime early next week.
Mike Borr: That will involve the ability for people to also self report, but for those instances where we've had members of our community that are actually on campus.
Mike Borr: The Department of Health has been following different protocols and in a recent change through some agreements has allowed for their ability to share additional information with us. And so we're hoping to be able to
Mike Borr: Be providing pretty good inaccurate details to the campus community as the fall grasses and we'll talk about that a little bit more
Mike Borr: In terms of how we would be notifying with it with a new site that that should be going live here very soon.
Mike Borr: I do want to make sure that people understand as we talked through this at the contact racing process whereby
Mike Borr: Positive individuals are interviewed and people that are close contacts to them. All of that is being handled by the North Dakota, Department of Health.
Mike Borr: And the public health officials that they have a working with them. We will assist the Department of Health, of course, in providing information that makes their, their work.
Mike Borr: More efficient and allows them to make contact with those posts, it will close contact individuals, but the North Dakota, Department of Health does oversee it
Mike Borr: Will talk about how the testing for students.
Mike Borr: Is functioning within the student health service, and then we'll also talk about some some
Mike Borr: Guidance. It's in the last final edits here and taught in in terms of what do what do students or whatever employees do if they have a person that
Mike Borr: You know, they're living with it might be positive. There's a whole many different scenarios that that present themselves as we found in working with this through the spring and summer, and we just have coalesce those resources together again in some guidance that will also be available.
Mike Borr: So first off, the, the North Dakota university system in conjunction with a narco Department of Health, the governor's office and all the individual institutions are partnering to try and have mass testing event that in theory is is going to catch people on the front end.
Mike Borr: Should they be asymptomatic and would be a you know somebody who could spread the disease, unbeknownst to them or the others that are around them.
Mike Borr: So the details of this program are being updated daily. The most recent information is available out on university systems.
Mike Borr: Site at the the link that's on the screen now at the end of us.edu slash get tested that is details on the program as well as the the locations that are present in the state.
Mike Borr: So questions that we've field it as why why in the world would you want to do mass testing is not, it's not a waste of resources. What we're finding is that
Mike Borr: Up to 40% of people who are infectious wouldn't necessarily have any symptoms that that would make them aware that they could be sick and and so that is
Mike Borr: A situation ripe for infectious transmission for those asymptomatic people again. So this testing is really designed
Mike Borr: To try and capture those individuals. And ideally, they would be doing this testing you know approximately five days before they be traveling to Fargo. And that's, that's one of the reasons that there are many locations across the state.
Mike Borr: So that they can test in in what would be their home location with full realization that many are already in Fargo and and we'll talk about those Fargo testing events in just a little bit here, but
Mike Borr: What we're encouraging all of our community to do. That'd be the students and employees is to get tested as the fall semester approaches. Again, ideally, about five days before
Mike Borr: And that's so that we have again the ability to try and catch those asymptomatic people that are infectious.
Mike Borr: Another thing that I should point out is that you know not all states are able to do this, North Dakota does have the resources.
Mike Borr: As the article the Governor's Office and the article. Department of Health and I think I missed them when I was talking about our partner organizations. Obviously there are key player in this
Mike Borr: The Department of Health, as the adequate resources to be able to do that testing and and so we're we're leveraging that from university system standpoint on providing testing available to all North Dakota institutions.
Mike Borr: And any any North Dakota student, even if they're out of state can go to any one of the note locations within the state of North Dakota to get tested and it'd be thought that they would go to their closest location and getting the details on the locations are at that link.
Mike Borr: For out of state students, obviously there. If there's if there's a large amount of mileage that they'd have to travel here.
Mike Borr: It's unlikely that they would. And so the Fargo testing you answer actually stacked just prior to the week of classes starting so Casey, if you could advance, I would appreciate it.
Mike Borr: SO FOR THE FARGO testing locations. The in recent meetings that I've had with Fargo gas public health and our Department of Health officials, as well as the National Guard.
Mike Borr: We're looking at using the location of the RF lock which is the east west facing parking lot. That is just south of the shack and we're going to have both drive up and walk up or excuse me drive through or walk up events will be available.
Mike Borr: And the times for all these days at this point are intended to be 10 o'clock in the morning to four in the afternoon, and they will be running consecutive days Tuesday through Sunday the week before classes start
Mike Borr: Next slide please. The for the walk up lanes, like I said, they will be available, we would be asking that the you were face coverings or or masks as directed recently with
Mike Borr: Our face covering change and you're encouraged also to the extent possible to to maintain those six foot distancing when you when you're walking up
Mike Borr: In those lines we anticipate that the the smooth flow of traffic, although it might be cumbersome for some would be to enter from university drive all traffic should enter from university drive and the 16th Avenue.
Mike Borr: Lane was thought when the guard was reviewing this to provide sufficient capacity to queue up the vehicles that are waiting to get into the parking lot.
Mike Borr: I would ask that individual stay away from the intersection of 15th Avenue and 14th Street as the number of these days will also be moving days and that intersection is
Mike Borr: Often problematic with with traffic flow Saturdays and we're pushing. They have our vehicle traffic enter from university drive
Mike Borr: Also anybody who's
Mike Borr: Going in for this testing is strongly encouraged. In fact, I would almost say required to pre register and the reason for that, if you don't pre register before you go to the testing site.
Mike Borr: While you're in line you'll be using that registration mechanism as well. It just makes for a more efficient process.
Mike Borr: The other thing that we've run into which has caused some issues is that
Mike Borr: en de su affiliated people that are being tested are not using their local address and that causes a problem when positive cases are revealed
Mike Borr: Because the initial contact would go out to whatever health agency would oversee the address that the student or the employee uses. So we would ask that you use your, your local address FOR THE FARGO Moorhead area.
Mike Borr: There, as I mentioned, there was additional testing available for our, our students and I think I would ask that our student health service employees that are joining us on the call kind of go through the process that they have in place there.
Patricia Dirk: Okay. Thank you, Mike. So as Laura mentioned Student Health Service has been testing since March when this all kind of began
Patricia Dirk: And we test. So unlike the mass testing. So the mass testing is for people who are asymptomatic. Whereas when you, when a student tests in student health service they would be symptomatic, or they would have been identified by the
Patricia Dirk: Public health official that they have been in close contact. So the public health official would advise the student that they've been in that close contact and should be tested.
Patricia Dirk: We would have them calls to and health service so that we can get some information from them and then
Patricia Dirk: really ensure that it's been that seven to 10 days since the contact because there's a high probability of testing a false negative
Patricia Dirk: If we test them to as soon so they could get tested and then become sick and would have already have had the test. It might think that they are not. So that's the reason for that.
Patricia Dirk: We also have a process in place so that we can test international students, which is different. They do not have to be symptomatic or
Patricia Dirk: been contacted by a public health official we're doing that so that they don't need to quarantine for 14 days and can get tested and then get organized and get ready for classes to start on the 24th.
Patricia Dirk: So that's kind of the process. We have providers nursing staff that do the testing here in the student health service. We work with the health department.
Patricia Dirk: And so the tests are picked up every day at three o'clock. We try to get all of our testing done prior to three.
Patricia Dirk: But otherwise, we can hold to the next day and it'll go out our average has been two to five days.
Patricia Dirk: Typically, more, more around the two day mark until we get results back. It just depends on if there's been a mass testing that might make the results of little bit longer to come in.
Patricia Dirk: And there is no charge the health department is covering the Student Health Service covers the cost for the collection and that kind of thing.
Patricia Dirk: And then are for the process and then the Health Department covers the cost for the testing. So there's no charge to students at this time that is always subject to change. If the Health Department changes something
Patricia Dirk: And then there's employee resources for testing Mike went over the mass testing.
Patricia Dirk: Areas are the dates and that kind of thing. So there will be other resources for employee so employees can always reach out to their primary care provider.
Patricia Dirk: If they have questions regarding any kind of cold symptoms. There are the static or the drive through testing sites that Sanford and essential has
Patricia Dirk: And there's a nurse line. So if you go to their website. It's super easy to find. There's a site that you contact and you can either fill out an online forum or Calder
Patricia Dirk: Nurse call line and then they get people scheduled. But at this point, they still follow the same criteria that we are where you would be symptomatic or have been contacted by a public health official
Patricia Dirk: And I believe those are the two areas public health.
Patricia Dirk: Also does testing as well. So Family Health Care Center downtown does testing. I don't know if that would be for all employees or if it's on a sliding fee scale. So there's several sites. So always, there's always options available.
Patricia Dirk: I think that was all their case if you want to go the next slide.
Patricia Dirk: Okay. Um, and then students and employees are expected to report to en de su so there will be information coming out shortly and our report form that students and employees and faculty can all
Patricia Dirk: Report on and so if they've tested positive for coal, but
Patricia Dirk: We really want that form completed. It's a voluntary for him, but we would like that completed so that we can have that snapshot of how many positive cases we have on campus at that time. So that's the purpose of that.
Patricia Dirk: We in student health service when we test a student, we just complete that form student doesn't need to self identify our fill out the form if they've
Patricia Dirk: Came to student health service for the testing and then also if somebody's been notified by that State Health Department official that they've been in close contact, we would ask that they complete the form as well.
Patricia Dirk: And Kim jump in anytime. If I'm missing anything.
Patricia Dirk: So the primary reason is to really assist Mike had mentioned that we are partnering with the North Dakota health
Patricia Dirk: Department for contact tracing. They do all the contact racing, but we tried to us this them. So if we know of.
Patricia Dirk: Additional information and we can quickly get that to them that just helps us to make sure that the the appropriate people are being contacted in a timely matter and then to provide that support and resources.
Patricia Dirk: To students. So to students, staff and faculty. We really want to be a source of resource. And I think Casey is going to talk a little bit more about that.
Patricia Dirk: To provide that support so that everybody knows what resources are available, who and how to reach out and I'll turn it over to Casey now because I think he was going to add a little bit here.
Casey Peterson: And we're just, I think the only thing I would add is that we do have the reporting form of already in the process and that will be rolling out like Mike said early next week. And we're really just looking to to make sure that students
Casey Peterson: Have the support that they need ongoing after that initial report as well. So that's where our office will come into play.
Patricia Dirk: I think there's a question about what kind of testing Student Health does or what has done typically
Patricia Dirk: And we've had calls from students, I'm just going to back up a little bit here, of whether we're doing the nasal or the throat or the oral swab. It depends on what's available.
Patricia Dirk: So the Health Department has assured us that they're both just as accurate. It depends on where they're at. With analyzers, and what they have available so
Patricia Dirk: If I don't know how the mass testing goes, Mike, if you know that if they do all these are not but in student health service. We might have one student that has an oral swab and one that has a day. So I think people prefer oral
Patricia Dirk: So we have to use what's available to us. So it might be a surprise when you come
Mike Borr: From what I have seen on the mass testing events is that they are all swabs, I will have additional information provided in a meeting this afternoon, and I'll ask that question just to confirm, that's the case.
Mike Borr: And the other thing I noticed a question on if if you have to want a certain date know that we're not setting aside dates for like alphabets of
Mike Borr: last names or anything like that allowed to be a little complicated because of the fact, we're not everybody's going to be in Fargo. So you were basically just
Mike Borr: spreading it out on a number of different days, but I would encourage those that are in
Mike Borr: The local area to utilize the first couple days because of the fact that we will have a sizable student population returning as a movie in starting on Thursday. So Tuesday and Wednesday probably ideal spots for those that are that are local to the city of Fargo.
Mike Borr: In terms of notifying campus of one of the things that we've been struggling with
Mike Borr: Is whether or not we're hearing of cases that are positive. I think there have been a number of instances where we're not necessarily hearing that, as I mentioned, there's recent agreements that have been made, where the North Dakota, Department of Health is going to be
Mike Borr: More reliably sharing some information with us. And so we're intending to use that along with the self reports in order to provide a mechanism whereby we can let the campus know what the approximation of what the level of activity is for the Indian community, um,
Mike Borr: And and i should say again, and in terms of contact tracing the narco Department of Health is the the authority that's handling that
Mike Borr: They're doing all the data collection. They're doing the contact tracing interviewing of the positive people there they're reporting the official numbers, but I should also mention that we've got a number of people in our community. There are other have been assisting
Mike Borr: The Department of Health through working with them through you know arrangements that have made and have been trained up
Mike Borr: On Being contact ratio. So we're we're helping them, but it's all being overseen by the Department of Health, who has the actual data sets and we're using the, the States for those people that are
Mike Borr: Working with public health, they're using the state's databases and systems. And so it's all one integrated system.
Mike Borr: Um, Student Health Service is going forward, kind of going to be our the reporting location through which information will flow and
Mike Borr: By doing that, we're hoping we're going to be capturing most if not all of the information as it's released post by an arco part of health and also some that new self reporting system.
Mike Borr: When you see that new self reporting system. Be aware that there's be two processes one for students, one for employees.
Mike Borr: And those initially will go to either student health for students or the human resources for the employee side so we can make sure we get resources information back out to the two different populations, but then our human resources group will will be forwarding
Mike Borr: Then the numbers of individuals that are employees so that we can get an accurate count. And what I'm
Mike Borr: What I'm talking about are you know publishing back out data, what we're looking to do when we gather that information.
Mike Borr: Is report the number of confirmed positive cases that were reported to us in the past couple of weeks, and we're setting that timeframe.
Mike Borr: on a rolling basis because it's it's our understanding through review of the data that predominantly unless a person. Seriously, they all and wouldn't be on our, on our campus community at that point anyway.
Mike Borr: Muster seriously ill, they, they are seeming to recover within that timeframe, so what what the number reporting is going to be as an approximation, the number of active cases in our community.
Mike Borr: We will, we will continue to evaluate if that's the right approach. But it goes back to one of the problems that we have, because we don't have or
Mike Borr: Oversee the data on this is the trouble that we would have on knowing when somebody is no longer in isolation or is, is no longer ill.
Mike Borr: And because of that, if we were to try to present total positive cases and just have that number that that number will continue to go up and eventually would be an inaccurate indication of what the level of current activity is. And so we're hoping that the process we're using is is
Mike Borr: Transparent and also as accurate as it can be based on the reports that come to us, we fully realized that we're not going to hear about all of
Mike Borr: The active cases. And so I want to be upfront on that as well as we're going to do our best to make sure we're publishing as good as the information is we have
Mike Borr: I should talk about the contact tracing process a little bit more, as I mentioned, the article department health is responsible, and we're assisting
Mike Borr: We're assisting that in a number of ways. As I mentioned, we've got people in our community that are actually serving as contact racers. But we've also
Mike Borr: Been kind of brainstorming on how how we go about determining close contacts in some of our different venues obviously one of the major ones is a classroom.
Mike Borr: For large classes. The last thing we would want to have happen is for the whole room to have to be considered to be a close contact which the health department is using as they're doing the contact racing.
Mike Borr: The definition of a person within six feet of a positive testing individual for 15 minutes or more. And so if you think about some of our large classroom that's that's
Mike Borr: That's a fairly small subset of class, a class population. And so we want to make sure that, to the extent possible, we're, you know, identifying and bringing into quarantine. Those people are truly close contacts.
Mike Borr: From our class settings.
Mike Borr: To do that is identified on here. There's class rosters and seating charts. I believe that there have been some sessions that that this has been discussed previously.
Mike Borr: I know that the registrar's office is working on finalizing some of these details. So, and I think he has an upcoming session as well, where some of those details, maybe further flush out
Laura Oster-Aaland: My could I interrupt briefly. There's been a couple questions here about the threshold.
Laura Oster-Aaland: For a classroom outbreak or I guess in any outbreak. And I know that's not an easy
Laura Oster-Aaland: Easy or quick answer. But could you address how we would be just working in collaboration with public health on that.
Mike Borr: Yes, as I mentioned, the, the Department of Health has the data sets and knows affiliations of people that have tested positive
Mike Borr: And would be able to look at that data and you know share from an aggregate standpoint, what our level about outbreak would be
Mike Borr: In should that occur on our campus. We would work in close conjunction with them to discuss what are our best options in terms of adjusting anything that we would need to do
Mike Borr: In terms of trying to address any outbreak situation that could present itself and of course key in all of this is, is how we've been
Mike Borr: outfitting the and and upgrading the classroom technology to allow for instruction to continue to the extent possible. Should we start seeing some of those types of issues crop up
Mike Borr: I think that was the question being asked and it was also a question on threshold levels with within classes. And I think you could look at that again using the high flex model in terms of trying to
Mike Borr: to the best extent possible to continue that instructional process for for the classes.
Mike Borr: There's a I want this slide is up here because there's kind of been some terms that have been used interchangeably. And I want to make sure that we're clear on on the terminology being used when we're describing what what happens in this whole testing scheme so
Mike Borr: Quarantine is a term that's used to describe
Mike Borr: The basically the how we're trying to separate people from the general population. If there's a thought that they might have
Mike Borr: The disease. And so if a person is considered to be a close contact they would be in quarantine.
Mike Borr: If a person is living with somebody who has the disease, they would be in in quarantine. At that point, um,
Mike Borr: And if they're being if they are symptomatic and are being tested for those symptoms they would also be in quarantine until, until the results are known
Mike Borr: And we've got different
Mike Borr: Campus processes for each of the quarantine the isolation but before I get to those also did define what isolation is and that's
Mike Borr: That's what comes into play if a person actually does test positive for the disease. And so quarantine is not positive. But there's a possibility that you were exposed
Mike Borr: Isolation is if you're actually present positive. So on the campus. What we're doing is for those that are in quarantine there. And this is specific to the residence halls as well as the apartments, but also applies to off campus housing as well for the private housing.
Mike Borr: Um, are quarantine is set up so that the people are working in there in the same residences, they, they live in.
Mike Borr: We will be getting resources to them to assist with that and I think case he's going to talk a little bit about that in a future slide in terms of getting meals and that sort of thing to them. So they were able to, to, you know, safely quarantine in their spaces.
Mike Borr: And again, again, this applies to people who are symptomatic leading test results as well as people who are close contacts to somebody who was positive.
Mike Borr: If a person who was in quarantine in one of our reps halls.
Mike Borr: test positive. They will then move into what
Mike Borr: The isolation of state and what we're doing for them in that case is moving them to a residence hall floors that have been set aside for this potential, and I believe the first one that will be utilized will be the Northwest area.
Mike Borr: And so the the student that test positive would be moved over there and again resources would continue to be provided to them in terms of dining and in
Mike Borr: Daily check ins with them to see how they're doing, just to make sure that they're doing all right, answered, you know, the their symptoms be progressing. We can certainly get them the help they need. While there while they're isolating
Mike Borr: The typical quarantine period is 14 days since last it's possible exposure.
Mike Borr: And the typical isolation guidance is a period of 10 days and 24 hours fever free that
Mike Borr: Timeframe has recently changed in the last couple weeks. It used to be 72 hours fever free, but it's not 24 hours and also symptoms, improving so all that has to be in play before someone would be able to come out of isolation.
Mike Borr: There are there are some locations on campus because of how they're set up where they they can actually isolate in their own space if they have like a private room with
Mike Borr: Restroom facilities they would be able to isolate where they where they actually we're residing and I think that's still the intention to continue to allow them to do that. But again, the dining and that sort of thing would be arranged. Some students have access to those resources.
Patricia Dirk: Okay. So, um, what to expect for students. So there's kind of two different tracks here.
Patricia Dirk: If a student is tested in student health service, they will be contacted by a student health service providers. So in India's new provider would be
Patricia Dirk: Calling to let students know if they were positive and then it would also go on their patient portal.
Patricia Dirk: So they will get a notification. So if you get a call. That means it's positive, and wouldn't hopefully be notified sooner than if it's negative, negative test results, take a bit longer. They try to get the positive ones out more quickly.
Patricia Dirk: If, if a student was tested off campus, then they're contacted by whatever facility.
Patricia Dirk: They were screened at. So depending like if they went to like a Sanford are essential, or the Department of Health would be contacting them so
Patricia Dirk: Either way, if they're positive, they'll be contacted by a provider and then they'll also be contacted by the North Dakota, Department of Health.
Patricia Dirk: And a contact Tracer. So the contact tracer will then visit with the student and talk about who they've been in close contact with
Patricia Dirk: And go through all of those parameters we will have some of that information from if somebody self report so they'll hopefully fill out that form if they go off site to get a test done
Patricia Dirk: They would fill out that report that Megan Casey were referring to. And then, so we will call the students
Patricia Dirk: Do a follow up call I whether they've been tested here or not just to check in to see how they're doing.
Patricia Dirk: Clinically, if they're having any kind of health concerns. We want to make sure that they're being cared for and being taken care of.
Patricia Dirk: And then we will also just check in to see if they need any additional resources and I'm gonna let Casey talk a little bit more about what resources. And what that will look like when it's coming from the Dean of Students
Casey Peterson: And I think just following up a little bit on what Mike was saying earlier to there are systems worked out in Residence Life and dining
Casey Peterson: To make sure that the students have the housing, they need to make sure that they're getting the food that they need all of those pieces we would be
Casey Peterson: Offering whatever other support and resources, the students need. So from the Dean of Students perspective.
Casey Peterson: We'd be checking in to make sure that they are having basic needs met that they have. They know their options for getting caught up in classes if they've been unable to attend if they've been too sick really to even join remotely.
Casey Peterson: And really just following up with any needs that they have and doing what we can to support them through that.
Casey Peterson: All right. And then so with for faculty there have been some questions about whether or not you'll be notified.
Casey Peterson: We will be doing at least a general notification when a student test positive our office will get that information and then we'll send out a notification to that students instructors, it does at this point, need to be non identifying
Casey Peterson: So we can't tell you exactly who that is. But just that.
Casey Peterson: Somebody in your one of your classes has tested positive and then that's really to prepare you for a possible request from public health officials for a class roster seating chart, those types of things in our follow up with students if they are too ill to attend class remotely.
Casey Peterson: Using the high flex pieces then if they're just really down for the count, or they're in the hospital. We would follow our normal process of doing class absence notification out of the Dean of Students Office.
Casey Peterson: And then the identification of those close contacts really is the responsibility of the Department of Health and so they'll be reaching out to you if you're considered a close contact they would be reaching out to any other students in the class.
Casey Peterson: That may be considered close contacts and doing their work on that level.
Mike Borr: That concludes the materially we have prepared. I think there are probably a number of questions that have been raised, while we've been
Mike Borr: presenting this material. I'm hoping that some of that is that were asked early on and I see Laura has been responding to a number of these have already been covered but Christy, if you can help us identify any outstanding questions, I would appreciate it.
kristi steinmann: Alright, I've got a list of them here, but I think haven't quite been
kristi steinmann: Addressed
kristi steinmann: Do you advise that employees who continue to be remote get tested.
Mike Borr: I'm sorry that the third one I missed a word in there though it's important
kristi steinmann: Oh, sorry. Do you advise that employees who continue to work remote get tested.
Mike Borr: I guess that is up to them themselves if they're not going to be interacting with anybody on campus. The real reason that we're doing the, the mass testing event.
Mike Borr: At the front end of this is to see whether or not we, we can put things in place to, you know, STAY ON ANY INFECTIOUS outbreak, so I will be personal decision, I would say.
kristi steinmann: Another question. Just clarifying if masks are required in common spaces, not just classrooms.
Mike Borr: Yes, that's part of the reason direction that was given. And I think that might actually be the session later on. That's going to be covering that topic in in more detail.
kristi steinmann: All right. Um, there was a question about, I think when you were talking about. If a student is in class. Who's notified if someone is test positive, but should all students in the class go into quarantine and the positive student go into isolation.
Mike Borr: Of the positive student would go into isolation and would be given direction from the public health officials are doing the contact racing.
Mike Borr: In that investigation that part of what they're looking at is where we, you know, I was talking about class rosters and or seating charts. We want to identify who would be close contact to that positive I should buy we I'm talking about the those that are doing investigation.
Mike Borr: And to provide the information for those that were considered to be close within the classroom setting, or wherever on campus that they would go into quarantine. But it would not in theory impact the complete class roster.
Mike Borr: If we have accurate information. And remember, a lot of times a person who was found to be positive. They might not even be present in the in the classroom, they might be doing
Mike Borr: Their coursework remotely, which means that it wouldn't impact anybody in in the in the that was physically in attendance.
kristi steinmann: I'm kind of follow up to that if I have a positive my if my class. Do I have the autonomy to have all my students in the classroom. Go online.
Mike Borr: I would defer that any class adjustments that would be made to working within your department, as well as in conjunction with the provost
Mike Borr: Again, it goes, it goes back to is the is the positive in the in the class X was they were they physically present it anytime when they were actually positive and all that comes out in the end of an investigation that's done. Okay.
kristi steinmann: A couple other ones, kind of related to the contact tracing
kristi steinmann: So if there is not a seating chart would all students be possible close contacts and should we keep seating charts and track, who is remote and who is in person.
Mike Borr: Yes, if there isn't any better information that's that's what we're trying to avoid by gathering as much detail in terms of who is physically present as as possible.
kristi steinmann: Okay. In in in a lab class where students have to move around the room and as seating chart isn't necessarily used would then everyone be considered a close contact
Mike Borr: Possibly. I think you'd have to look at each individual situation because there is a time component to the closeness of contact as well.
kristi steinmann: Should faculty or staff keep a record of who they meet with in person.
kristi steinmann: In even if it's informally after class just to keep record of who you might have been in close contact with
Mike Borr: You can, I guess I would encourage the extent possible that you try and maintain your, your physical distance and separation from others, even if you're interacting with them, you know, if you stay
Mike Borr: More than six feet apart, that's ideal. There is a care 19 diary app that can assist in in in that process and
Mike Borr: You will be hearing additional information here in the very near future about a Karen 19 alert app, which is kind of a corollary application.
Mike Borr: That will be using technology in theory to determine who else might have been close contact with you. I'm not willing or not able to go into a lot of detail on that because I don't have a lot of detail, but I've heard that will be an announcement coming in the next couple weeks.
kristi steinmann: Question. If the department chair will also be notified in addition to the instructor
kristi steinmann: If there's a positive case in a classroom.
Casey Peterson: At this point it would just be the instructors.
kristi steinmann: Oh,
Laura Oster-Aaland: Well go ahead Christie.
kristi steinmann: This is a totally different question.
Laura Oster-Aaland: Do you okay if we're going to shift topics, just a little bit. I was, I think there. I just want to make sure I'm answering a particular question correctly, Mike. There's been a couple questions and seems to be a little confusion over
Laura Oster-Aaland: Face coverings. And if if a person is wearing if both people are wearing a face covering but not six feet apart, would they still be considered
Laura Oster-Aaland: A close contact and I think there's a difference between the the way the public health contact tracers are defining that and what general guidance, we're getting. Can you clarify that.
Mike Borr: Let me try and I'm also going to ask that Kim weigh in on this to access our head nodding, up and down, um,
Mike Borr: What I've been told is that whether or not you're wearing a mask does not impact, whether you are considered to be a close contact now Kim might have some additional information beyond that, if you could share what your understanding is I'd appreciate it.
kimberly.l.larson: Yeah. So actually, it's, it's the opposite.
kimberly.l.larson: If both of the individuals have base coverings on within the, you know, and they're within six speed for 15 minutes. They're not considered a close contact
Mike Borr: That is very interesting. And like many other things in this is continues to change because at least a couple months ago that was not the case. So thank you for providing that updated information.
Mike Borr: That's very helpful.
kristi steinmann: Another question about if students are allowed to have off campus visitors. If they're living on campus or are they allowed to travel off campus.
Mike Borr: We're not looking to restrict that in any way. So, yes.
kristi steinmann: Is there a plan to have any more regular testing or students and faculty throughout the semester after this initial mass testing that we've got
Mike Borr: That's the goal, to the extent that we're able to, again, this would be
Mike Borr: Efforts utilizing university system resources in conjunction with Department of Health and the State Department health
kristi steinmann: And what is there a testing limit for each day that we have in those mass testing events.
Mike Borr: When I've asked that question I've been told that they have sufficient resources and have not been provided a number. Now, I do know that the state.
Mike Borr: Has a capacity that they're ramping up to do approximately 8000 per day. But we're not the only testing site that are
Mike Borr: In action on any of those given days. So my number that I am just all parking is between 1002 thousand tests on any day in Fargo.
Mike Borr: And I, I realized that if everybody takes the test that's not sufficient, we are encouraging everybody to take it and I though the first day will will be very illustrative on what what what capacity in terms of resources are as well as the participation level.
kristi steinmann: Okay, there's a couple of kind of clusters of questions. So I'm going to start with one that's I'm going to let you know that they're both coming
kristi steinmann: There's a question about the threshold rate for closing classrooms again. So I think we should come back to that because there are a few clarifying questions and then there's another one going back to the
kristi steinmann: wearing masks if you've got everyone wearing a mask. Do you need to, would there ever be a case where you have close contacts in a classroom, then if everyone is masked
Mike Borr: I'm going to be for finalizing an answer on that one.
Mike Borr: Check with with others because we have the conflicting information between two of us. So
kristi steinmann: So then the other question is there with you about the infection rate threshold. I know that you mentioned that this is going to be a joint collaborative decision between the state and NDS you but there are a couple. I think just want a little bit more detail about
Mike Borr: Well, I guess I'd asked what the threshold to what type of change in process would, you know, Could, could we utilize the high flex
Mike Borr: Capabilities to basically implement a change. I would anticipate that we would be doing that.
Mike Borr: Every situation is going to be unique depend on what the type of class. It has the size of the class what Romans, the being held in there's there's just a number of different things that come into play. And we do, we would basically work with
Mike Borr: The provost and the deans in chairs and instructors to figure out what's the best solution. How do we, how do we address. Should we have to add given a level of outbreak, there's, there's just too many variables to say we're going to you know make x decision as to why percent of positivity.
kristi steinmann: And it sounds like they're asking specifically about closing all classrooms and not having face to face instruction.
I think
kristi steinmann: You answered that with we're, we're still not quite sure to be able to make that
kristi steinmann: That answer clearly right now.
kimberly.l.larson: Like I did some further investigating and I am going to rescind what i said i'm so only have an individual ism full P doesn't count as will not count as an exposure. So facemasks do not
kimberly.l.larson: Protect
kimberly.l.larson: Them fully
kimberly.l.larson: So there would still be the close contact. Okay.
Mike Borr: Thank you.
kimberly.l.larson: Very much.
MMccourt: Hi Can Can people hear me.
MMccourt: Mark McCourt here I'm just trying in because everything that's been discussed so far. I think pertains to exposure within a classroom environment, but
MMccourt: Have. Has anyone considered the likelihood of fact, you know, almost certainty.
MMccourt: That exposure is going to happen outside of the classroom environment. And so everything that you know all these precautions all these contact tracing everything that you're discussing.
MMccourt: pertains only to this one subset of the way that students are going to be interacting with each other. How are you going to deal with the, the, the, you know, extra curricular activities that students engage in
Mike Borr: I probably wasn't clear enough on how the contact racing process works they they're actually doing interviews of the student that's positive to ask them who they've been around the problem in large classes. They don't know everybody that's their classmate.
Mike Borr: It's thought that in those extra curricular activities. If they're spending a sufficient amount of time with with others. They would know the names of those individuals because the types of events, they're having
Mike Borr: Because the you know it casual interaction passing each other in a dining center again, there's a time component to the closeness of contact.
Mike Borr: And so I guess that's that's probably why we've concentrated a lot on the on the classrooms, because I think that presents the
Mike Borr: Biggest challenge to having a student understand who they were near obviously they're going to be near many others as they interact on campus. But that'd be in the residence halls.
Mike Borr: Where they know what rooms, they, you know, they're in, and are close to and what wing. They're on and those types of things. And, and so I probably didn't do enough of an explanation of how those investigations occur.
Mike Borr: To give it justice.
Casey Peterson: And Mike I can chime in a little bit to that we are providing some guidelines and some assistance for student groups as they're planning events and doing that. We're also recommending that they track attendance when they can
Casey Peterson: So that we do have those lists, where possible, in case a contact tracer needs them. So we are looking at
Casey Peterson: Some of those other types of things to reduce the risk everywhere.
kristi steinmann: Can there was a question if we could clarify what fully qualifies as full keep
kristi steinmann: In that definition of if you would be considered exposed
kimberly.l.larson: Oh, full pee pee pee would be an end 95 mask of face shield
kimberly.l.larson: A gown and gloves.
kimberly.l.larson: That's what we use at student health
kristi steinmann: There was a question earlier that I missed. Do we have a single point person of contact to report cases are other issues are they distributed by departments or buildings and I don't know if he if I missed that we're talking about the form that you want people to fill out.
Mike Borr: Yes, there'll be form and a process for if if the person is a student and wants to report or an employee and I guess we're saying we're, we're, we're requesting that they tell us. So his student will follow one process employee will follow them another
Mike Borr: In terms of making that report.
kristi steinmann: Um,
kristi steinmann: There was a question about how to make a seating chart paperless if you don't know all of the names on the first day.
kristi steinmann: I don't know if anyone has any tips on that.
Mike Borr: As, as I've
Mike Borr: Thought. I've heard what what people are doing for this is, and I guess I'm not sure the question on the paperless that's that's a little difficult.
Mike Borr: But I thought that it wasn't because of what we're interested in is the people are physically present. And my understanding is that there will be paper with
Mike Borr: design layout that people would be able to indicate where they were seated and I guess it would be in my mind, just the kind of thing where that information would be
Mike Borr: Handed throughout the classes as the classes progressing that for you know that first day and either everyday or it's just an expectation that that's where you'll sit going forward.
kristi steinmann: I'm
Casey Peterson: Kind of an old school recommendation along those lines to might be
Casey Peterson: When the students come in to take some time on that first day to say please sit in the same seat each week. And please make sure you know the names of the people sitting closest around you.
Casey Peterson: And give them some time to exchange names and then they'll have a pretty good idea of when somebody has gone when somebody is there should contact tracing need to to be there, too.
Laura Oster-Aaland: And I believe that Margaret was going to send an email to faculty. She has something drafted. I know to send to faculty very soon.
kristi steinmann: Um, if a student reports a positive case to their faculty member prior to filling out the NDS you notice, so the the institution doesn't learn about it before the faculty member does what recommendations do you have for proceeding with their class on the same day.
Mike Borr: I'm
Mike Borr: The let's take this by step. So the student notifies at this point, I would think that the notification is by email because they are supposed to be in isolation. Right.
Mike Borr: So continuing with the course on that day.
Mike Borr: In my mind should be allowed to continue because the student would not have been present that day.
kristi steinmann: Okay. And then there was another question.
kristi steinmann: Where do we send students who have concerns when they learn that there's a positive face positive case in the face to face setting like, who do they go to for information.
william.burns: This is Bill because her. Can I jump in real quick. And so just before I leave the meeting.
william.burns: If you have people who have anxiety and stress or feeling upset about these kind of things. The mental health side set up to the Counseling Center will be doing
william.burns: Counseling with those students along the way. I would say if it's physical concerns, send them to student health, they can take care of it from that angle.
Laura Oster-Aaland: Or if it's more if the question. Was it good. I think the question was more about
Laura Oster-Aaland: If rumors are spreading that there's positives and we can't really tell the student who's tested positive thing to reminding students that public health will be in contact with them if they were a close contact
Laura Oster-Aaland: And then, you know,
Laura Oster-Aaland: If n de su is aware of that they are close contact. We will make them aware. So I think reassuring them that
Laura Oster-Aaland: We're not hiding, but we will that public health will inform them if they are in close contact
kristi steinmann: And Laura if if students kind of start organizing on their own within like their Blackboard course to talk about any of that information. Is that something that should be
kristi steinmann: encouraged or discouraged, especially if they start like swapping health information and I know one person mentioned that there's a risk of gossip there.
Laura Oster-Aaland: Yeah, and I think it's also likely that students are going to report to faculty or staff. And if they do, I think, again, making sure that they've completed the online form is really important so that we can just verify. You know, if the rumors true or not.
Laura Oster-Aaland: I think DISCOURAGING THAT KIND OF in talk is important, but also if somebody is truly concerned, I think, Dean of Students Office would be happy to visit with them.
Laura Oster-Aaland: See if we can do a little investigating because you know there could be a case to wear a rumor, actually, is there some truth. So we would do some investigating in that realm to so you can feel free to refute refer people to the dean of students.
Laura Oster-Aaland: Like
Mike Borr: If I could offer one one other thought on on this, let's let's remember that.
Mike Borr: As they've done the contact racing. They haven't been able to identify who a person picked up the illness from in all cases. In fact, there's a
Mike Borr: Sizable percentage where it's unknown and that refers to what is known as community spread, which means they they may have picked it up just by being in an area that
Mike Borr: There was a transmission that occurred. And so I guess my, I would encourage people to continue to do the things that we've done from the store on this maintain your, your hand, sanitation, cover your costs.
Mike Borr: And maintain your, your distance, you know, six foot distance minimize, to the extent possible, your, your risk a risk of exposure by doing those things because you know the potential does exist, that even with the changes that we're implementing it's still possibility that can be anywhere.
kristi steinmann: Where there's another question that's there's two questions that seem pretty related. So we'll staff working in public spaces be notified that they may have been exposed by students using the space.
kristi steinmann: And then if there was a positive case in a classroom will all instructors who use that classroom be notified.
kristi steinmann: More related to the space than it is the the people being connected to them.
Mike Borr: Um, what I, what I can basically share from from what the you know the very few that we've had to work through
Mike Borr: What typically happens is we find out of a positive case, a number of days after they relaxed in that space and with the Survival. Survival survivability of the virus in many cases the risk of exposure.
Mike Borr: isn't present anymore. So there isn't a lot of additional steps that we can take
Mike Borr: I do know that I think Mike ellingson in his session talked about some of the disinfecting steps that they're doing in addition to what they've historically done on tribes of it in trying to just, you know, address any of those
Mike Borr: Communities spread type issues.
kristi steinmann: Um, had another question about will that contact tracing include any contact they've had with other departments or employees and will the tracing have similar guidelines within that department or office setting.
Mike Borr: All the contact tracing uses the closeness of contact, which is six foot 415 minutes or more. I'm not sure if that answered the question or not but it'd be basically it's a consistent process.
kristi steinmann: And that's done by the contact tracers through their interview process. Yes.
kristi steinmann: Question. How often will testing be done once the initial tests are concluded.
Mike Borr: That's still in discussion with the North Dakota university system smart restart task force.
Mike Borr: We've had the assistance of Vern dosh who's been overseeing contact racing for the state since early on and this that's providing assistance and guidance on arranging for that details are still being worked out.
kristi steinmann: Here at one o'clock. I don't know if you guys have any closing remarks, you want to make before we
Mike Borr: Why I guess I just like to offer the appreciate everybody's attention and and you know joining us on this.
Mike Borr: As this thing progresses, as we've seen since the beginning. Our approach needs to say stay flexible as the situation changes and and come this fall will be operating under that same principle adjusting to the situation presents itself on any given day.
Mike Borr: So thanks again for for participating and will continue to provide information, as I said, those websites will be up very shortly here in terms of providing additional guidance as well as some statistics of level of
Mike Borr: Activity that we're seeing in the area.
Casey Peterson: I just want to say from the student affairs perspective that at through Welcome Week and across the semester. We're going to be working very hard to educate students
Casey Peterson: On the expectations on the risks involved on how to protect not only themselves, but each other and you and so there's going to be a big focus on on why we're doing what we're doing and hopefully minimizing and mitigating the risk
Laura Oster-Aaland: And then I would just suggest if you didn't get some questions answered. Please feel free to email any one of us.
Laura Oster-Aaland: If you still would like to us to dig into some things. Thank you.
Mike Borr: Thank you all.