While DePaul will have a more limited on-campus presence in the fall than originally planned, campus will be slightly more open than it was in spring quarter and a limited number of courses will continue to meet on campus. To encourage people to consider whether they might be putting others at risk, the university is introducing the #CampusClear app for all visitors to campus to self-screen for symptoms of COVID-19.
DePaul will require students, faculty, staff and visitors to use #CampusClear each time they prepare to come to campus. People may be asked to display their #CampusClear app results to a university official prior to entering a DePaul-owned or operated facility.
Developed for higher education institutions, #CampusClear includes a brief questionnaire and medical symptoms check. Based on the answer to the screening question, the app will display a screen that states “good to go” or “you are not cleared for campus access.”
While aggregate compliance data will be monitored, DePaul will not use this tool to monitor individual health data, and users should contact their healthcare provider if they need medical advice. The Chicago Department of Public Health has established a call center to address questions from the public. Phone lines are currently staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please email coronavirus@chicago.gov or call (312) 746-4835.
DePaul is introducing #CampusClear on the recommendation of medical experts at our partner AMITA Health Medical Group and the recommendation of the Community Health Subcommittee of the Restarting Campus Operations Task Force.
A daily self-screening tool offers several advantages, according to a member of the task force and co-chair of the subcommittee.
“Staying home when you’re ill is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the potential risk of exposure to our DePaul community and visitors,” says Shannon Suffoletto, director of Health Promotion and Wellness and interim director of University Counseling Services. “#CampusClear provides a daily reminder to students and employees to consider whether they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and help them determine whether or not they should be interacting with others in public.”
Will DePaul implement widespread COVID-19 testing?
DePaul considers many variables in our approach to health monitoring. Those variables include: the availability of testing; a rise in the city or state’s COVID-19 positive rate; changes in the demographics of those who test positive; reports of neighborhood COVID-19 outbreaks; the beginning of influenza season or a rise in influenza-like illnesses in Chicago; and an analysis of COVID-19 contact tracing efforts in Chicago. Changes in these variables, as well as change in public health recommendations, could result in changes to our approach.
At this time, after considering the variables and thoroughly reviewing best practices, public health recommendations, and science-based research, and consulting with CDPH, DePaul has opted not to adopt widespread COVID-19 testing as a screening mechanism of people who are coming on campus. Medical experts at our partner AMITA Health Medical Group, members of DePaul’s Community Health Subcommittee of the Restarting Campus Operations Task Force, and university leaders found several important reasons to recommend against universal testing.
Testing for COVID-19 assesses a person’s infectious status at one point in time. That status could change within hours. Frequent, repeated testing would be needed to ensure the population was free of COVID-19. Because of this, universal testing is not a practical prevention effort.
DePaul also recognizes that testing priority should be given to students and employees who have symptoms. This aligns with guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CPDH, which also recommend against universal testing of all returning students and employees. According to CDPH, it is not known whether testing of all students, faculty and staff for COVID-19 “provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of the virus beyond what would be expected with strict adherence to other infection preventive measures.” Instead, the CDC recommends that higher education institutions should test individuals with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and asymptomatic individuals with recent known or suspected exposure to COVID-19.
To that end, DePaul is seeking on-campus testing options for limited testing of select populations and will utilize testing sites in the local Chicagoland and surrounding areas. As recommended by the CDC, DePaul community members will be advised to seek medical consultation/advisement before seeking testing.
Will DePaul use temperature checks?
DePaul will not require faculty, staff, students or other visitors to campus to submit to a temperature screening before entering a DePaul building.
“Since a high temperature is only one of many possible COVID-19 symptoms, a self-screening tool, such as #CampusClear, is more effective,” says Cheryl Hover, a co-chair of the Community Health Subcommittee of the Restarting Campus Operations Task Force and associate director of Emergency Management. “In addition, if we wait to screen people until they show up at DePaul, they will already have had opportunities to spread it to others on their way in—and could infect staff serving as temperature screeners.”
The DePaul community may see temperature screenings being used in some parts of campus.
The city of Chicago offices in the DePaul Center, which are accessible to DePaul students, faculty or staff, will require temperature screening of city employees. In addition, building management at 55 E. Jackson Blvd., where DePaul leases offices on several floors, will offer temperature screening that DePaul-affiliated visitors can choose to participate in or bypass.
“It is the personal responsibility of all who come to campus to follow DePaul’s health and safety rules,” Suffoletto says. “By following these rules, each person’s actions benefit the collective whole, creating a Take Care DePaul and COVID-19 prevention culture.”
DePaul is continually evaluating its safety approach and will make adjustments in its campus response to COVID-19 based on evolving guidance from government authorities and health experts, Suffoletto says.
If you live in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, or if you don’t live in those areas, but plan on visiting campus, the answer is yes.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommends that all travelers from high-incidence states (those on the travel order list) should be tested during their quarantine period. If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, CDPH recommends seeking testing right away. If you are asymptomatic, CDPH recommends testing five to nine days after you return.
DePaul is investigating testing options for students affected by the travel order, based on CDPH testing guidelines. Students who do not meet the testing guidelines per CDPH may consult with AMITA Sage or their medical providers for guidance on testing.
Read a Newsline interview with Professor Craig Klugman for a DePaul bioethicist's perspective on the university's approach to health monitoring.