FAQs from the Gold Task Force

Will I be informed if there is a positive COVID case in my area?
 
The University has an obligation to preserve our employee’s privacy when health-related information is shared with proper officials. See guidance from the Centers for Disease Control for additional information: https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html 
 
How am I notified if I have contact with an employee who has tested positive for COVID-19?
 
Employees who are considered close contacts are informed by the local health department of the county in which the employee tested positive. To maintain confidentiality, you will not be provided with the name of the employee. Contacts are also given guidelines for self-quarantine, told to contact their healthcare provider if they experience COVID-19 symptoms and given the chance to ask questions.
                                                                                                            
What is contact tracing?
 
It’s a process used to identify, educate and monitor people who have had close contact with an infected person. Health professionals interview infected people and ask them to remember everyone they had contact with while they were infectious, then alert those contacts of their increased risk for infection. 
 
Who is responsible for completing contact tracing?
 
Contact tracing is initiated by the local health department of the county in which the employee tested positive. If another employee within a department is notified that they are a contact of someone who has tested positive, that notification will come from the health department, not the University.
 
What if I have not received notification that I am a contact?
 
If no one in the department has been notified, then that means no one met the criteria of a close contact.
 
Is the University hiding information from employees?
 
The University is not hiding any information. The COVID-19 dashboard is updated weekly with the most accurate information received.
 
Are employees required to get a flu shot?             
 
Kentucky State University is not requiring employees to get a flu shot. It is highly encouraged. It is even more critical to get a flu shot this particular flu season because of the added complexities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Please remember: The best way to keep safe is to wear your mask, wash your hands, wipe down your surfaces, and maintain six feet of social distance between yourself and others.