COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
on this page:
Masking and Testing
Vaccination and Booster
Community Commitment
Staying Healthy
Support Resources
Masking and Testing
What is the current masking policy on campus?
Masks are no longer expected to be worn indoors for community members or guests, with the following exceptions:
- Masking indoors will still be expected for those with a known exposure, and those in isolation when around other people, and those who have symptoms or continue to test positive.
- Departments or event organizers may continue to have more specific, discipline-related expectations for competitions, rehearsals, and performances – including for audience members.
- Individuals may set masking expectations for particular spaces as follows:
- Faculty or staff may require masks in classrooms, in their own office space, or in other instructional spaces.
- Students may require guests to wear masks in their residence hall rooms.
- Students may work with Disability Services if they need an accommodation for a masked classroom environment.
What COVID-19 testing resources are available for students?
Testing availability at Hamre will vary depending on demand each day and the costs of the tests will be billed to either the student account (and you can submit to your insurance) or the United Healthcare Student Resources student health insurance. COVID-19 testing for students (both rapid antigen and PCR testing) will be available at the Hamre Center for any reason (travel, illness, exposure) by appointment with providers during clinic hours. Students will have access to local resources and be referred off-campus if the Hamre Center is not able to accommodate the testing they desire.
What do I do if I have tested positive for COVID-19 and live on campus?
- If you are at high risk for severe disease, reach out to your medical provider to develop a treatment plan.
- Be sure to get medical care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think you are experiencing an emergency.
- Isolate from others in your residence hall room for 10 full days. You may leave isolation prior to day 11 if you have a negative rapid antigen test on day 5 or later.
- Fill out and submit the COVID-19 Student, Staff, and Faculty Reporting Form.
- While in isolation, you can use your campus meal plan and order a meal to pick up to go, you can use the Isolation Meal Order Form located on Bon Appetit’s website. You can subscribe to the menu mail Macalester College – Fresh. Local. Delicious. (cafebonappetit.com) to receive the menu in your inbox. You are able to pick up your meal yourself as long as you wear a high quality mask indoors, and you can also designate a friend to pick it up too. Please note: orders need to be submitted by 7 p.m. the night before your selected pick-up date.
- Inform any close contacts that you have tested positive. With the evolution of increasingly contagious variants, err on the side of informing anyone you may have possibly infected. Close contacts should wear a high quality mask around others and test 5 days after exposure.
- Wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95) if you need to be around others. This includes when possible in the restroom and when picking up food.
- Inform professors, supervisors, coaches and others that you are in isolation.
What do I do if I have tested positive for COVID-19 and live off campus?
- If you are at high risk for severe disease, reach out to your medical provider to develop a treatment plan.
- Be sure to get medical care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think you are experiencing an emergency.
- Isolate from others. Stay in your home and avoid contact with housemates as much as possible for 10 days. You may leave isolation prior to day 11 if you have a negative rapid antigen test on day 5 or later.
- Fill out and submit the COVID-19 Student, Staff, and Faculty Reporting Form.
- Inform any close contacts that you have tested positive. With the evolution of increasingly contagious variants, err on the side of informing anyone you may have possibly infected. Close contacts should wear a high quality mask around others and test 5 days after exposure.
- Wear a high-quality mask (N95 or KN95) if you need to be around others.
- Inform professors, supervisors, coaches and others that you are in isolation.
What are Macalester’s residence hall isolation protocols?
For students living on campus, our plan for Fall 2024 is to rely primarily on isolation in place when a student develops any respiratory disease, including testing positive for COVID-19, even if they have roommates.
- Students who test positive will:
- Not be moved to a separate isolation space, but will isolate in their residence hall room for 10 days unless they have a negative antigen test on day 5 or later
- Be expected to wear high-quality masks (e.g. N95, KN95) when around others
- While in isolation, you can use your campus meal plan and order a meal to pick up to go, you can use the Isolation Meal Order Form located on Bon Appetit’s website. You can subscribe to the menu mail Macalester College – Fresh. Local. Delicious. (cafebonappetit.com) to receive the menu in your inbox. You are able to pick up your meal yourself as long as you wear a high quality mask indoors, and you can also designate a friend to pick it up too. Please note: orders need to be submitted by 7 p.m. the night before your selected pick-up date.
- Roommates of students who test positive will be expected to:
- Continue to reside in their residence hall room
- Mask around others
- Test at least once between day 5-7 (with day 0 being the day of the roommate’s positive test)
- The college will not provide COVID-19 testing to facilitate early release from isolation
A very limited number of temporary spaces will be available for on-campus residents with specific health-related needs, and these will be assigned based on accommodation requests through Disability Services. All requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
I tested positive for COVID-19. Whom should I consider to be a close contact?
The definition of a close contact continues to be anyone who has been within 6 feet of you for a cumulative 15 minutes or more (masked or unmasked) during a 24 hour period. The time frame to consider is the 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or providing a sample that resulted in a positive test. Contexts to consider as you develop the list of individuals to contact include meetings, work, meals, and gatherings (large and small).
I tested positive for COVID-19. What do I tell my close contacts? What do my close contacts need to do?
Let your close contacts know that you have tested positive for COVID-19 and that you think they meet the criteria to be considered a close contact. Your message to your close contacts should also include these recommendations from the CDC:
- Regardless of vaccination status, close contacts should wear a high-quality (i.e. N95, KN95, KF94) mask when around others for 10 days from the date of last contact.
- Regardless of vaccination status, close contacts should monitor for symptoms and get tested at least 5 days after their close contact; if symptoms develop, isolate and get tested immediately.
- Close contacts do not need to quarantine.
COVID-19 Vaccinations
Are students required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination?
No. The Hamre Center for Health and Wellness at Macalester College strongly recommends that students stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as defined by the CDC.
Where can students obtain a Flu/COVID-19 vaccination?
To find a COVID Booster vaccine off campus, use the Minnesota Department of Health vaccine locator.
Flu Shots are free with most health insurances through local pharmacies.
Opportunities For COVID Boosters and Flu Shots in our area include:
- St. Paul Corner Drug on the corner of Snelling and St. Clair. Make an appointment online or call 651-696-8859.
- At your closest CVS: Find a location and make an appointment.
Utilize the Minnesota Department of Health Vaccination Clinic Map to find a clinic that provides free or low-cost Flu shots for uninsured and underinsured adults. The Hamre Center also offers flu shots.
How can I get a record of my immunization status?
For those vaccinated in Minnesota, you can now view your immunization record via an app or request this information electronically from the state. This can be very helpful for travel or event attendance requirements.
Community Commitment
What is the Mac Stays Safer community commitment?
Our individual and community health depends on our choices and actions. Our ability to stay safer is only as strong as our shared commitment to each other. View the Mac Stays Safer community commitment.
Staying Healthy
What should I do if I feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms?
If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it is important to minimize your interactions with others. Hunker down in your room, wear a well-fitting mask if you need to leave your room, make use of grab-n-go food options, and maintain 6-feet distance where possible.
Students: You can contact the Hamre Center, 651-696-6275 or [email protected], during business hours to make an appointment. Call the Access Nurse line (651-696-6275, option 3)* for 24/7 medical advice. If you are experiencing severe symptoms and want to be seen urgently, see this list of urgent and emergency care medical resources.
If individuals are sick, should they still stay home and work from home?
As part of our Mac Stays Safer 3.0 Community Commitment, Macalester community members promise to stay home if ill or experiencing symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19. Supervisors, professors, coaches, and peers will respect such decisions.
Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren’t better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.
- You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
- Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
- You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
- When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.
- Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
- If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days.
Graphic: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist March 202412
When you have a respiratory virus infection, you can spread it to others. How long someone can spread the virus depends on different factors, including how sick they are (severity) and how long their illness lasts (duration). This is not the same for everyone.
What do I do if I have an urgent concern or an emergency?
In case of a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
- Students: If you need care after hours, please visit the Hamre Center’s Urgent and Emergency Care page for resources. If this is an emergency, please call 911.
- For students living on campus, Macalester Public Safety is available 24/7 to provide advice or respond to a concern. Public Safety will also connect with Student Affairs staff who can assist and follow up.
Support Resources
How is Macalester working to support students?
An Emergency Aid Program is available to help students experiencing financial distress. This program comes in response to a general concern about unexpected expenses that can disrupt a student’s educational trajectory, especially students who have no financial safety net. COVID-19 has underlined the need for such a program. More information about this program, and the form students should use to begin the process, can be found on the Financial Aid website.
What support resources are available for faculty and staff?
The Hamre Center for Health & Wellness provides a Mental Health Tools for Faculty and Staff portal. These tools include the WellTogether initiative, syllabus statements, and resource lists.
Employment Services shared a COVID-19 Employee Resource Guide. This guide includes information about COVID-19 testing and details about several Macalester benefits for faculty and staff including the Employee Assistance Program.
For students or parents of current students: Have a question that isn’t answered in our FAQ or on this site? Please email us at [email protected]
For alumni: Have a question that isn’t answered in our FAQ or on this site? Please email us us at [email protected]
Updated by Katie Gurujal April 2024