ObieSafe Weekly: February 2, 2022

Arrival Testing Required for Spring Semester: Schedule Now

All students, faculty, staff, and approved vendors are required to participate in arrival testing at the beginning of the spring 2022 semester. All members of the Oberlin community who will be on campus are required to test during arrival testing days regardless of whether they have been present on campus through Winter Term.

Arrival Testing

• Friday, February 11 through Monday, February 21 in Hales Gymnasium, by appointment only
• Arrival tests are asymptomatic PCR tests with an anticipated three- to four-day return rate for results.

Access the COVID-19 Test Appointment Scheduling task in OberView [link no longer available]

If you have been on campus through Winter Term, or are a faculty, staff, or approved vendor, please schedule your test as soon as possible between Friday, February 11, and Tuesday, February 15. 

All others arriving to campus for the first time since the end of fall semester, please schedule your arrival test to be as soon as possible after you arrive on campus—ideally within 24 hours of arrival. Please schedule your appointment now. You will be UNABLE to schedule the day of your desired test and MUST schedule it in advance.

Only those who have had COVID-19 in the past 90 days and have provided proper documentation to ObieSafe are exempt from the testing requirement. Please do NOT test upon arrival if you have had COVID-19 within 90 days and report your case to ObieSafe if you have not already.

If you are experiencing symptoms on your test day, please do NOT participate in arrival testing. You may request a symptomatic test instead. 

• Symptomatic testing must be scheduled via text (440-308-6193; include name, affiliation, T#) during arrival testing days and throughout the spring semester. Visit the ObieSafe website for more information. 

Need help? For questions about test scheduling, email obiesafe@oberlin.edu.

Booster Shot Deadline is February 18

The deadline to get your booster shot is fast approaching! All students, faculty, and staff are required to obtain a booster shot and upload proof of vaccination by February 18. Those who are not yet qualified for a booster because of the date of their last vaccination or recent COVID infection are expected to receive a booster when eligible. Please inform the appropriate office if this applies to you (students: inform obiesafe@oberlin.edu; employees: inform Human Resources). 

How to upload your booster vaccination proof:

• Students: upload your vaccine card to the Student Health Portal.
• Faculty and staff: upload your vaccine cards through the Human Resources portal.
• High school students taking classes at Oberlin: upload your vaccine card to the Student Health Portal.

For more information please visit the Winter 2021-22 FAQ.

At Oberlin, Who is a Close Contact?

Everyone who knows a person with COVID-19 is not automatically a close contact. ObieSafe does send email messages to students, faculty, and staff who may be close contacts when an infected person reports their test results. Students who have questions about their situation can contact Student Health Services to discuss their circumstances. 

As you consider your situation, you may be a close contact if you have spent time with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 (also known as an infected person) under the following circumstances through proximity and duration of exposure. Below is a checklist based on public health information.

1. You were indoors.
   • Sharing a sleeping area does make you a close contact under ObieSafe guidelines.
   • Attendance in a common classroom or office setting does not automatically make you a close contact under ObieSafe guidelines because more information is needed to determine your status.
2. The infected person did not wear a well-fitting mask.
3. You did not wear a well-fitting mask.
4. You were less than 6 feet away from an infected person.
5. You were together for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more during a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

People who are identified as close contacts should follow CDC recommendations to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. Recommendations for close contacts to quarantine, get tested, and wear well-fitting masks after exposure to COVID-19 will vary depending on vaccination status and history of prior COVID-19 diagnosis within the past 90 days. People who have come into close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations outlined on the COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation webpage [link no longer available].

Get in touch with the ObieSafe team

Have something to share in a future issue of ObieSafe Weekly? Email obiesafe@oberlin.edu with story ideas or information you’d like to have considered for publication.

ObieSafe Home