DePaul cannot disclose the identity of individuals who test positive for or are confirmed to have COVID-19. All DePaul community members have an obligation to protect the privacy of people who test positive for or are confirmed to have COVID-19, as well as the people identified as close contacts.
DePaul’s contact tracing team will call those who have been identified as having been in prolonged close contact with an infected individual. As a reminder, prolonged close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or more. Those who had brief, casual contact with an infected individual are considered low risk. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay at home if they develop symptoms. Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately.
Moreover, Facility Operations has readily available options on both campuses for disinfecting spaces of various sizes and configurations. The resources include:
• Hospital-grade disinfectant
• Hospital-quality portable UV-C light machine rated to kill 99.9 percent of all virus material
• Clorox 360 electrostatic chemical application machines
For the traditional residence halls, the above procedure would not be implemented in an individual's room, since all students live alone with their own room and bathroom. Therefore, students who live in traditional halls will be responsible for cleaning their own rooms. If a common area of a residence hall is in question for infection, the above protocols may be enacted.
Because students in apartments are sharing common areas like kitchens and living room, all students will be relocated for their quarantine and isolation time. The room will be cleaned with the UV-C Light machine and surfaces will also get an additional cleaning.