Coronavirus Information

Update: January 29, 2021, 8:00 a.m.

As we prepare for a safe and healthy spring 2021 semester at Buffalo State College, department heads and supervisors should communicate with their staff members regarding their expectations for a return to campus for operational needs. Department heads and supervisors must ensure that staff members using alternative work arrangements have an approved plan on file.

These required protocols related to the COVID-19 public health emergency will help ensure a safe and productive semester for the campus community:

Personal Protective Equipment
Employees must wear face masks. Please wear your mask placed over your nose and mouth at all times, including in classrooms, conference rooms, and other spaces, even when 6 feet of social distancing exists. If you do not have a face mask, please call the Environmental Health and Safety Office at (716) 878-4038.

Physical Distancing
While the “orange” and “yellow” zone restrictions in Erie and Niagara counties were lifted by Governor Cuomo on January 27, the important measures of decreased density and social distancing remain in place. 

Keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools available to avoid being exposed to the COVID-19 virus and to slow its spread. Since people can spread the virus before they feel sick, it is important to distance from others whenever possible, even if you have no symptoms.

Those of us on campus must follow these physical distancing practices to the greatest extent possible:

• Stay at least 6 feet from other people at all times.
• Do not gather in groups.
• Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.

Screening
Any employee who has not been regularly reporting to campus since the end of the fall semester (Thanksgiving break) and who will now have an on-campus presence is required to complete the Employee COVID-19 Daily Screening Questionnaire beginning two weeks before returning to the workplace. Employees must complete the daily screening, which arrives via e-mail, for travel history, COVID-19 history, and COVID-19 symptoms. 

As was required in fall 2020, all faculty and staff members must view the New York State Return to Work video (password: employeesback) and acknowledge that they have done so.

Surveillance Testing
During spring 2021, all faculty and staff members who live on campus or who plan to be on campus regularly (including for instruction, co-curricular activities, or meetings) are required to complete COVID-19 surveillance testing on at least a weekly basis:

• Faculty or staff members who do not report to campus in a given week are not required to participate in testing that week.
• In a change from the fall 2020 testing procedure, you will not receive an e-mail notification that you have been selected for testing. Instead, if you are coming to campus, you are required to report to the Sports Arena during the available testing times to complete a surveillance test on at least a weekly basis.    
• Those who have had a positive PCR test (nasal swab) should not participate in surveillance testing for 90 days from the date of their positive test. Upon conclusion of the 90 days, please resume surveillance testing. Please send notice of a positive PCR test to hrcovidresponse@buffalostate.edu.

To understand what to expect during the testing process, please watch this brief video. Please e-mail hrcovidresponse@buffalostate.edu or call Human Resource Management at (716) 878-3042 if you have questions.

Please continue to review the Campus Updates section of the college's Coronavirus Information website for the most up-to-date announcements and resources.

Thank you for continuing to do your part to keep our campus community safe and healthy.