Updated COVID-19 guidelines

March 14, 2024

This message was sent to faculty and staff at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

This month marks four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We have come a long way and now have better tools for testing, diagnosing, and treating this virus. I am grateful for the many efforts that each of you have made to help decrease the spread of this virus on our campus. This has not come without hard work and sacrifices for students, faculty, and staff. The collective problem solving, resilience and adaptability in the face of these challenges is yet another example of the strength of our Wolf Pack. 

While COVID is still present, great progress has been made in protecting individuals from severe illness. Thus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now changed their isolation guidance for COVID-19 to be more in line with influenza and other respiratory illnesses. The new guidance states that people who test positive for COVID no longer need to isolate for five days, but can return to work or school if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and their overall symptoms are improving. And as always, the guidelines advise individuals to stay home when they are ill. Employees may review and request sick time in Workday.

The updated guidance encourages, but does not require individuals to take additional preventive steps for the next five days to help curb the spread of disease. This includes promoting good ventilation, washing hands often, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, wearing a well-fitting mask and keeping a distance from others. 

Again, thank you for all the work you continue to do to help keep our campus healthy!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Hug-English M.D., MPH
Director Student Health Center