Contact Tracing Guidelines
A close contact is someone who has had the following interaction(s) with a COVID-19 positive case:
- Anyone who works at Swarthmore and shares your home
- Anyone who was face-to-face with you and within 6 feet of you without a mask for more than 15 minutes over a 24 hour period.
- Anyone who had physical contact with you (shaking hands, high fiving, touching elbows, hugging etc.)
- Anyone who had direct contact with your secretions, such as touching a used tissue or sharing a cup or utensils.
If you have been identified as a close contact you must test at day 5 after exposure. The day of exposure is considered day 0. You must also follow the instructions below, depending on your close contact status, as defined:
Status | Staff and Faculty | Students |
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Close contact, asymptomatic |
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Close contact, symptomatic |
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* Resolved symptoms are when you are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND symptoms have improved enough to return to work with no more than minimal respiratory symptoms (nasal congestion, cough, sore throat).
+ Wear a well-fitted mask for 10 full days any time you are around others. Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask. Practice modified behaviors such as:
- Not eating and drinking with anyone
- Masking at all times
- Space yourself out when working with others
- Try to do individualized work instead of being in groups
If you have had a diagnosed COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days, you are exempt from the contact tracing procedures outlined above. However, if you develop symptoms after being identified as a close contact, you should seek medical evaluation.