Mitigation Framework

Introduction

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is focused on preserving the health and safety of our community, while serving our students with excellence. We have maintained a mode of University operation consistent with guidelines set forth by the Restore Illinois plan and developed a Return to SIUE Plan centered in a science-based approach.

SIUE has carefully phased in a return to the University for students, faculty, and staff on the Alton, East Saint Louis and Edwardsville campuses. Our essential services remained on-ground throughout the Governor’s stay-at-home orders that began mid-March. Starting June 13, SIUE began a phased return for administrative and student services that had initially shifted to a remote-only operation in March. Limited on-ground summer courses were launched beginning July 5.

The fall 2020 semester return followed the framework set out in the Return to SIUE Plan. SIUE de-densified the University by reducing campus populations in the following ways:

Student enrollment
- 12,860 total students enrolled at the Edwardsville and Alton campuses
- 7,444 (58%) enrolled in at least one on-ground course (88% in 2019)
  - 100% of SDM students have at least one on-ground course/experience
- 5,416 (42%) enrolled exclusively online compared to 12% for fall 2019
- 280 unique faculty teaching on-ground
Employees working partially or completely remotely
Approximately 1,960 residents are living on-campus in fall 2020
- This represents a 25% drop (approximately 600 residents) in occupancy from fall 2019
- 55% of residents are living in private bedrooms
In-Person Events
- External event reservations restricted through fall 2020
- Campus sponsored events restricted in size by Restore Illinois plan
- Admissions Campus Tours – Three in-person tours daily, PREVIEW, Transfer Visit Days, Explore Days, Virtual Academic Sessions, Graduate Open House all delivered remotely
  - SDM Campus Tours continue to be conducted in a fully virtual environment

Revisions to the Return to SIUE plan have been made regularly based upon shifts in Restore Illinois phases, and mitigations for Region 4 and when CDC guidelines have been modified. SIUE regularly receives and reviews guidance from federal, state and local agencies. We closely monitor new guidance, campus and community conditions, and will respond pro-actively to keep our University safe.

Glossary of Terms

Close Contact Exposure

Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

Isolation

Isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are sick with COVID-19 or have tested positive and have been instructed by a medical provider to isolate) from people who are not infected. People who are in isolation should stay home until it is safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available).

Quarantine

On December 17, 2021, IDPH guidance related to quarantine was updated as follows:

The CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. Further, local public health authorities determine and establish quarantine options for their jurisdictions and may decide to continue using a 14-day period and/or shortened options for certain lower risk close contacts.

However, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable alternatives:

Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 1% with an upper limit of about 10%.
Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a RT (Reverse Transcriptase)-PCR test is negative and if no symptoms were reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. The earliest a specimen may be collected and tested would be on Day 6 with quarantine being discontinued no earlier than Day 8. With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 5% with an upper limit of about 12%. This option is not recommended for children in daycares or K-12 schools.

Outbreak

Two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases who are epidemiologically linked to the outbreak setting, have onsets of illness within a 14-day period, do not share a household,* and are not listed as a close contact of each other outside of the outbreak setting.

*On-campus apartments and suites are considered households.

Modes of Operation

The framework below provides SIUE the ability to rapidly respond to conditions by reducing or expanding in-person University activities as needed. School of Dental Medicine and East Saint Louis Center programs, services, and instruction may be modified from those listed below due to the unique nature of their operations. Modifications will be communicated directly to the School of Dental Medicine from the Dean’s Office and to East Saint Louis Center programs and services by the Executive Director.

Remote

Due to local or state public health orders, the campus could be required to shift to remote-only instruction with limited access to facilities and services for a specified length of time. Staff identified as necessary to be on-ground would continue to report to campus.

Limited

Direction from public health officials or other constraints could require one of our campus locations to limit in-person operations and further de-densify the campus.

Campuses would operate at limited capacity.
Academic instruction would be conducted remotely or as specified in agency guidelines.
Access for research-related activities would be based on risk assessment, training and use of masks and other personal protective equipment.
Remote work would be expanded for eligible employees.

Expanded

Enables the presence of students, faculty and staff on campus. While COVID-19 cases exist in the local community, direction from public health officials permit in-person operations at appropriate occupancies and with appropriate mitigation.

Face coverings are required in all campus buildings. Face coverings are required outside when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Face coverings are available for everyone on campus.
Isolation and quarantine spaces are available for on-campus residents.
Enhanced sanitation and physical distancing measures are in place.
Campus operations continue in a de-densified mode with reduced physical capacity. Remote work options remain available, in-person gatherings are limited.

Full

Return to a mode of operation where all functions of the University are fully operational and in accordance with new safety guidance and procedures under Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan.

Considerations Impacting Operational Modes

Academic Course Instruction

Course instruction considerations range from conditions present in one specific course, to those that may impact overall on-ground course delivery. Considerations related to course instruction would include:

Faculty or instructor inability to continue course instruction
Availability of assigned teaching assistants
Number of students unable to continue learning due to illness
Outbreak tied to classroom setting or classroom building
Impractical to continue face to face instruction due to reduced student attendance
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Campus positivity rate, isolation and quarantine impact/capacity, and community spread
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor, or other public official to require a shift in course instruction

Campus Housing

Campus housing considerations range from conditions within a residence hall wing, floor, or building to those that may impact the entire range of housing facilities. Considerations related to on-campus housing would include:

Identification of an outbreak or multiple outbreaks in a University Housing facility or across multiple facilities
Ability to provide the support and services to those in isolation/quarantine
- Laundry, trash, mail, package delivery
- Food
- Room turnover timeline
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Campus positivity rate, isolation and quarantine impact/capacity, and community spread
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor or other public official to require a shift in on-campus housing

Off-Campus Student Housing

Identification of an outbreak or multiple outbreaks in an off-campus student housing facility or across multiple facilities
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor or other public official

Workforce

Workforce considerations include those related to absenteeism, ability to fill open positions, use of Families First Coronavirus Act and employees approved for COVID-related accommodations.

Impact of a widespread shift in K-12 to fully remote education, child care closure/reduced capacity
High levels of absenteeism impacting operations
EOA accommodations for remote work exceed on-ground staffing demands
Inability to meet technology needs of remote work expectations
Inability to meet essential service needs of campus
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Campus positivity rate, isolation and quarantine impact/capacity, and community spread
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor, or other public official that could require a shift in operations.
- Limits on-ground staffing
- Limits on interstate travel
- Limits on inter-county/inter-region travel

Supply Chain

Timelines and availability of products and equipment are important considerations regarding the ability to maintain critical operations related to basic needs, cleaning and sanitation, testing, etc. These shortages could result from delivery delays, stock issues, or escalated cost.

Availability of necessary cleaning and sanitation supplies
Ability to maintain supplies essential to instructional activities like cleaning microscopes, art supplies, etc.
Access to personal protective equipment for health and safety, cleaning, and course instruction needs
Availability of COVID testing supplies
Availability of food, beverages, and food preparation and storage supplies
Access to technology needs
Prioritization of supply chain needs
Development of alternative strategies
Have various stock available and multiple vendor sources when possible

Campus Events and Activities

SIUE continues to follow the guidelines provided by the Restore Illinois plan and DCEO related to in-person events and the size of meetings and gathering. Face-to-face courses, while not viewed as a meeting or gathering, have been restricted in size.

Spread of COVID connected to in-person events
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Campus positivity rate, isolation and quarantine impact/capacity, and community spread
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor or other public official that could require a shift in operations

Athletics

Inability to provide the necessary support and services by medical training staff
Identification of an outbreak or multiple outbreaks within a team or across multiple teams
Availability of coaches, athletic trainers and other athletics personnel
Action by the Ohio Valley Conference/Mid-American Conference/NCAA to require a shift in athletics guidelines
Increased reports of non-compliance with face coverings, social distancing, and people-focused health and safety policies
Team positivity rate, isolation and quarantine impact/capacity, and community spread
Action by city/county/state health officials, governor or other public official to require a shift in operations

Thresholds and Mitigation Strategies

During Voluntary Testing Stage

SIUE has developed metrics to monitor the spread of COVID-19 on campus. These metrics will help SIUE determine when to implement additional mitigation strategies. It is important to note that testing metrics are one piece of a broader picture SIUE will consider. Chancellor’s Council and the COVID CORE Team review these data on an ongoing basis for awareness of conditions in the surrounding area and those areas impacting our local communities. It is important to note that this approach is effective throughout the duration of the voluntary testing stage. Thresholds and mitigation strategies will be revised effective with the full implementation of a mandatory testing program.

Leading dashboard indicators are metrics that are posted on the SIUE COVID Dashboard. The SIUE COVID-19 Testing website provides the most up-to-date information about campus testing and links to local testing sites. Due to the unique nature of the three campuses, appropriate leading dashboard indicators for each of the Alton, East Saint Louis and Edwardsville campuses have been developed.

Additional monitored SIUE metrics are reviewed on an ongoing basis by the responsible departments, the chancellor’s council and the CORE Team. These metrics provide direction to departments/units, COVID CORE Team, chancellor and chancellor’s council to determine if and when additional mitigation strategies are needed in specific areas.

Regional and area monitored metrics are those reported by The State of Illinois and Illinois Department of Public Health, or the appropriate local health department have established regional resurgence criteria for areas of the State. SIUE is located in Region 4.

School of Dental Medicine and East Saint Louis Center metrics will be monitored for prevalence and spread as part of the Additional Monitored University Metrics found below. Please refer to that table for more specific information for those campuses, programs and services, as well as their mitigation strategies

Leading Dashboard Indicators

Edwardsville Campus

Leading Dashboard Indicators	Threshold	Mitigation Strategies	Operational Mode
Active Student Positive Cases*	1.5% (113) of on-ground student population (7500)	Suspension of In-person events Increase number of tests administered	Remain in Expanded Mode plus additional mitigations
	5% (375) of on-ground student population (7500)	Short-term (14-day) shift to “essential” activity only for students Short-term (14-day) shift to remote instruction	Shift to Limited Mode
	Active Student Positive Cases data will be monitored. If there is no significant decrease in cases over 14-day period current mitigation strategies will remain in place and additional mitigation strategies may be considered.
Active Faculty/Staff Positive Cases*	1.5% (37) of approximate faculty/staff count	Suspension of In-person of events Short-term shift to remote work in effected areas	Remain in Expanded Mode plus additional mitigations
	5% (124) of approximate faculty/staff count	Shift to “essential” on-campus activity only Short-term (14-day) shift to remote instruction for effected classes	Shift to Limited Mode
	Active Faculty/Staff Positive Cases data will be monitored. If there is no significant decrease in cases over 14-day period current mitigation strategies will remain in place and additional mitigation strategies may be considered.
Isolation/ Quarantine Availability	Below 50% of total on-campus capacity	Restrict community activity throughout housing community Suspension of In-person of events Identify additional isolation and quarantine space	Remain in Expanded Mode plus additional mitigations
Isolation/ Quarantine Availability	Below 20% of total on-campus capacity	Identify I/Q individuals who could quarantine at permanent address Short-term (14-day) shift to “essential” activity only for residents Contract with local hotel, local housing developments; relocation of on-campus housing students.	Remain in Expanded Mode plus additional mitigation AND 2nd layer of additional mitigations
Positivity Rate of voluntary SIUE Screening Tests	6.5-8% over 7-day rolling average	Increase restrictions regarding number of in-person participants at in-person activities, events and gatherings. Identify additional mitigation interventions needed for the University to control the further spread (examples could include but are not limited to auxiliary and academic spaces, reduction of facility hours, etc.)	Remain in Expanded Mode plus additional mitigations
Positivity Rate of voluntary SIUE Screening Tests	Above 8% over 7-day period	Restrict students, faculty, staff to “essential” activities for a specific time period. Short-term shift to remote instruction for effected classes Short-term shift to remote work in effected areas	Shift to Limited Mode

* Positive cases reported include those who may have been present on campus during the time of their infection AND have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 through the COVID Self-Disclosure Reporting Form or identified through the SIUE testing process. Based upon CDC guidelines, this includes individuals who may have been on campus 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

Additional Monitored University Metrics

The following additional metrics are monitored on an ongoing basis by the Chancellor’s Council and the COVID CORE Team. These metrics provide direction to departments/units, COVID CORE Team and the Chancellor and Chancellor’s Council to determine if additional mitigation strategies are needed in specific areas.

All Campuses

Additional Considerations	Potential Mitigation Approaches
Spread and prevalence of infection across a single section of the university (e.g. classroom, residence hall wing, office suite, campus building, off-campus housing) *School of Dental Medicine and East Saint Louis Center will be monitored for spread and prevalence as unique single sections of operation and will be monitored accordingly.	Targeted, mandatory screening tests Short-term (14-day) shift to “essential” activity for impacted section of campus Reduction in number of in-person participants at in-person activities, events and gatherings. Short-term (14-day) shift to remote instruction for affected class or classes.
Faculty and Staff Absenteeism	Hiring of temporary staffing and/or third-party vendor to provide essential services. Assign alternative instructional activities. Reassignment of work duties pursuant to Civil Service regulations and collective bargaining agreements. Overload or overtime authorization as approved
Number and severity of cases of non-compliance with People-focused Health and Safety Policy or other non-compliant activities referred to the Dean of Students Office	Additional messaging, education, training, and/or signage Suspension of in-person events for specific student organization or all student organizations Suspension of student organizations Administrative withdrawal from on-ground courses and/or termination of residency Suspension for serious or repeated non-compliance
Supply level of COVID tests (5-day supply)	Daily inventory of supplies. Consistent ordering of supplies. Weekly conversations with suppliers to ensure no current or future issues in supply chain.
Supply level of PPE (2 weeks)	Daily inventory of supplies. Consistent ordering of supplies. Weekly conversations with suppliers to ensure no current or future issues in supply chain. Agreements with Facilities Management at Washington University and SIUC for emergency supplies.
Supply level of Cleaning and Sanitation Products (2 weeks)	Daily inventory of supplies. Consistent ordering of supplies. Weekly conversations with suppliers to ensure no current or future issues in supply chain. Agreements with Facilities Management at Washington University and SIUC for emergency supplies.
Ability to support residential student isolation/quarantine cases being housed on campus	Adjust all Dining Kits to 3-day kits to allow for more distribution on a given day Re-assign staff to support Dining Kit delivery and packaging (Maximum 300 in I/Q) Re-assign staff to support cleaning efforts of I/Q spaces after waiting period Short-term (14-day) shift to “essential” activity for residents
Infant, Toddler, and Pre-K to 12 Educational Programs	Programs in this area follow guidelines from: Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE) Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) Office of Head Start– Administration for Children and Families Brooklyn School District 188 Cahokia School District 187 Collinsville School District 10 East St. Louis School District 189 Belleville School District 118 U.S. Department of Education (USDE)
ESTL Center Adult Services and Programs	SIUE Edwardsville Campus Guidelines
ESTL Center Tenant Management	SIUE Edwardsville Guidelines (Facilities) Southwest Illinois College (SWIC) Operations/Program Guidelines Lewis & Clark Operations/Program Guidelines University of Missouri– St. Louis Operations/Program Guidelines. State of Illinois Operations/Employee Guidelines.

Regional and Area Monitored Metrics

The State of Illinois and Illinois Department of Public Health have established regional resurgence criteria for areas of the State. SIUE is located in Region 4. Chancellor’s Council and the COVID CORE Team review these data on an ongoing basis for awareness of conditions in the surrounding area and those areas impacting our local communities.

Regional and Area Metrics
Regional Resurgence Criteria
Madison County Positivity Rate
St. Clair County Positivity Rate
St. Louis City Positivity Rate
St. Louis County Positivity Rate

Conclusion

The list of potential mitigation strategies is not intended to be an exhaustive list. It is intended to provide examples of strategies that could be implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 at SIUE. Campus leadership must continue to review testing and tracing trends, isolation and quarantine trends, and guidelines provided by federal, state, and local authorities to determine the need to implement additional mitigation strategies or shift to a different mode of campus operation.

COVID-19 Information

University Plans & Campus Operations