COVID-19 guidelines set for semester

The spring semester will go ahead as planned at LCC, with COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place.

Some on-site in-person classes will continue to be offered this semester. All students and employees at LCC should continue to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

Chris MacKersie, the executive director of the Administrative Services Division at LCC, said the guidelines for this semester have changed slightly from last semester.

MacKersie said the college has decided to follow the current government guidelines in order to help keep people safe on campus.

The full set of guidelines can be seen on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website here.

Some highlights include:

* When on campus, all people are required to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status, except when alone in an enclosed workspace;

* Nobody should come to campus if they are feeling sick in any way;

* The college also encourages all employees and students to consider getting vaccinated, including the booster vaccination when eligible;

* If a person tests positive for COVID-19 they should stay home for five days. If they have no symptoms after five days, then they may leave the house. They should continue to wear a mask around others once they are done quarantining themselves;

* If a person is exposed to someone with COVID-19 they should wear a mask around others for 10 days and get themselves tested on the fifth day, if possible. If they develop symptoms they should get tested and stay home;

* If a person has been on campus two days prior to becoming COVID-19 symptomatic or testing positive for COVID-19, they must notify their professor, instructor, program director or supervisor immediately.

MacKersie said students should expect future changes to these guidelines.

“Given the very fluid nature of the pandemic, it is difficult to anticipate what those changes might be,” MacKersie said.

Employees of LCC should keep up to date on communications from the college as new federal mandates are expected.

The college is waiting for a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the federal Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 vaccination and testing.

Once the decision has been made, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) will determine how it will implement the ETS. The ETS would require all employers with a workforce of 100 or more to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated, or require those who remain unvaccinated to be tested every week.

The college expects to receive details and deadlines from MIOSHA by the end of the month.