COVID-Related Health & Safety

• Wis. Stat. 36.09(1)(a), (f), and (L), 36.11(1)(a) and (c), 36.35(2)
• Wis. Stat. 101.11, Wis. Admin. Code § 17.09(1), (14), and (15)
• Wis. Admin. Code § UWS 18.08(9)(b), 18.11(6)(a) and (7)(e)
• UW System Board of Regents Policy 23-2
• UWM Policy on the Creation of Selected Academic and Administrative Policies (SAAP 00-01)

COVID-19 is a contagious disease that can cause severe illness and death, particularly for vulnerable individuals such as those with underlying health conditions. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) is committed to ensuring that it acts to the extent possible to shield its students, employees, and visitors from COVID-19. To this end, UWM has adopted this policy to help reduce the likelihood of spread of COVID-19 on UWM Property (defined below) and in UWM activities. UWM may impose stricter requirements to specific situations and activities as necessary to protect health and safety. Certain units and activities, including but not limited to the Children’s Learning Center, Student Health and Wellness Center and summer camps/clinics, may be subject to unique requirements based on CDC and/or other guidance and requirements. 

UWM has set requirements based on the current level of disease prevalence locally. Given the high communicability of certain strains of COVID-19, maintaining this low disease prevalence is most easily achieved through widespread vaccination. Accordingly, UWM encourages all UWM community members to get vaccinated if they have not already. 

1. When to Avoid UWM Property and Activities.    Any employee, student, or visitor (defined below) who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a healthcare provider or had a positive COVID-19 test, should isolate for the duration suggested by the CDC (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html) before coming to UWM Property, or other physical location of any UWM sponsored-activity. If they have been determined to be a close contact with a positive case, they should follow the CDC’s recommendations found on www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html.  
2. Symptom Monitoring.  All employees, students, and visitors who are physically present on or in UWM Property, or other location of any UWM-sponsored activity, who develop a fever (temperature of 100.4° or higher) or have had other symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should consider getting tested for COVID-19 or getting evaluated by a healthcare professional before coming to campus. Information about COVID-19 symptoms can be found on the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html. 
3. Symptoms and/or Positive Cases.   
   • Employees.  Employees with possible COVID symptoms or exposure should contact their healthcare provider to determine whether COVID testing is advised and consult the CDC Isolation and Exposure Calculator. Per normal procedure for any illness, employees should report the need to take sick leave or other leave to their supervisor.   
   • Students.  Students with possible COVID symptoms or exposure should contact the Student Health and Wellness Center or their regular health care provider to determine whether COVID testing is advised and consult the CDC Isolation and Exposure Calculator. 
     • Students living within the residence halls should contact University Housing to arrange for isolation if recommended by current CDC guidelines and if they have not made arrangements to isolate off campus.   
4. Face Coverings.  Face coverings are no longer required indoors for the general population of UWM employees, students and visitors.  Individuals physically present at UWM campuses are encouraged to monitor and follow the CDC’s recommendations on wearing masks for the applicable county, which recommendations are based on current transmission levels.  
   
   Certain units and activities, including but not limited to the Children’s Learning Center, the Student Health and Wellness Center, the UWM Psychology Clinic, and healthcare professional clinical training programs, may continue to require face coverings based on CDC and/or other external guidance, standards, and requirements. 
   
   Units or activities not subject to such external guidance, standards and/or requirements may not require face coverings but may encourage face coverings in any shared space using university-provided signage. 

Face covering: those items meeting the current CDC recommendations.   

UWM Property: for the purposes of this policy, this includes any property (land or buildings) subject to UWM’s control. 

Visitor: any guest, contractor or agent on or in UWM Property or present at UWM activities. 

Requests for modification to this policy will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

• Students requesting a modification due to a disability should work with UWM’s Accessibility Resource Center. 
• Employees requesting a modification due to a disability should work with UWM’s Disabilities in Employment Coordinator in central HR following UWM’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy.  Any other requests for a modification should be directed to the employee’s HR Business Partner. 
• Visitors may request a modification to University Safety & Assurances via email at riskmgt@uwm.edu. Such emails should include the specific request, why it is not feasible to follow this policy, and the additional safety measures taken to further mitigate risk.  
• Requirements for children in the Children’s Learning Center are defined by Children’s Learning Center’s policies which follow public health and Wisconsin Department of Children and Family guidelines.