Employee FAQs: Modifying our safety precautions due to increased COVID-19 in the community
Published on 8/16/2021

What are the guidelines for eating around others?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:36 am

Avoid eating together and sharing food, including individually packaged items, with your colleagues. Try to stagger your eating times to avoid crowded breakrooms and use plexiglass dividers when eating.

Will we be allowed to return home to work remotely in light of these new changes?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:36 am

Given our high vaccination rate enterprise-wide, with these additional safety measures, it is safe for our entire team to continue working in person. We will not be asking staff to return to remote work, and requests for remote work will not be approved until a formal remote work plan and policy is in place. 

A formal task force has been convened to develop a proposal and plan for remote work considerations and approval within UI Health Care. 

How long do we expect this updated guidance to last?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:37 am

This guidance will be in place until the situation in Iowa and Johnson County has decreased below the risk of substantial transmission of COVID-19. Our Program of Hospital Epidemiology evaluates this daily. 

Will staff screening change?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:37 am

No, at this time there is no change to our staff screening process. By coming to work you are attesting that you do not have symptoms consistent with COVID-19.  Please remember that if you feel unwell you should stay home, contact your supervisor, and call the University Employee Health Clinic at 319-356-3631.

Is there a limit to how many people can gather, for example, in a meeting space or conference room?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:38 am

No, though you should socially distance yourself from others when possible. Also, please consider using virtual meeting options like Zoom when meeting in person is not necessary. If you do meet in person, masks are required in clinical and non-clinical spaces in patient care facilities, and masks are encouraged in all other UI Health Care locations such as the Carver College of Medicine. Food should not be consumed during meetings at this time. 

Do these new PPE and safety guidelines apply to outdoor spaces between buildings?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:39 am

Masks are not required outdoors unless you are in crowded spaces where distancing (6 feet or more) is not possible.

Does this guidance apply to HSSB and other buildings where patients do not receive care?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:40 am

Staff in facilities where patients do not receive care, such as the Health Care Support Services Building (HSSB), are encouraged to wear face masks, regardless of their vaccination status. Face masks will be readily available. 

Staff at these facilities should also follow all of our other safety measures, such as coming to work healthy, and following guidelines for meetings and gatherings and eating around others. 

Does this guidance apply to the Carver College of Medicine?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:41 am

Faculty, staff, and students in facilities where patients do not receive care are encouraged to wear face masks, regardless of their vaccination status. Face masks are readily available. 

Staff at these facilities should also follow other safety measures, such as distancing, coming to work healthy, and following guidelines for meetings and gatherings and eating around others. 

Why is there different guidance for patient care facilities than non-patient care facilities?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:42 am

Fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear a mask or physically distance in university buildings or on UI campus, except in health care settings and where required by state or federal guidelines (e.g., passengers on CAMBUS).

Do students and volunteers need to follow these guidelines?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:42 am

Yes, students and volunteers should follow all employee safety and personal protective equipment standards based on the facility they are in.

Do I need to wear a mask while alone in a private office?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:43 am

No, staff are not required to wear a mask when alone in a private office.

Do I need to wear a face mask when entering/exiting buildings where patients receive care?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:44 am

Yes. If you are in a facility where patients receive care, you are required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. The only time you do not have to wear a mask is if you are alone in a private office. You are also permitted to remove your mask briefly when you are eating or drinking, but you should do so physically separated from other colleagues. 

In non-patient care facilities, face masks are encouraged.

Do I need to wear a mask on CAMBUS or other public transit?
Updated on 08/16/2021 at 9:43 am

Yes. All travelers are required to wear a mask on all planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the U.S. and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.