Frequently Asked Questions

 Our Vaccination information web page has the information.

The individual should closely follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine.

• Encourage the employee to voluntarily self-report their exposure using this form.

Please follow the CDC guidance on isolation

Visit the screening web page for more information about COVID-19 testing.

If an ill or exposed employee refuses to follow guidance to isolate or quarantine for the appropriate duration of time, even if they are feeling well, contact Human Resources for guidance. 

Faculty will be notified if a student in their classroom has a positive test for COVID-19. Faculty should not notify other class attendees without express direction from the COVID-19 Health Committee. The Health Committee will coordinate this communication.

Yes, COVID-19 cases will be tracked and reported on the ISU Covid Cases page.

Names of positive or symptomatic individuals will not be released to the campus community at large. The campus community may receive periodic updates on the number or percentage of positive tests. Contact tracers receive training on maintaining confidentiality and every effort will be made to maintain confidentiality.

University leadership actively monitors the spread of the virus in each campus community on a continual basis. In consultation with state and local health officials, the University may temporarily suspend in-person classes and/or close individual campuses or programs to mitigate risk of disease spread.

If it is identified through contact tracing that you were in close contact with a positive case, you will be informed by the local public health department or the University COVID-1 Health Committee working in collaboration with the health department. If campus health officials feel the risk is significant enough to the campus community, notification to the community may occur through a targeted email that will NOT include specific information about the person(s) involved.

Your participation in contact tracing helps protect others in your community.  Contact tracing identifies your close contacts.  A contact tracer is someone trained by the public health department who reaches out to your close contacts and provides them with information and resources on actions they can take to monitor for symptoms and quarantine.  Most importantly, participation in contact tracing helps public health officials slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Information provided to a contact tracer will be kept confidential and only shared with those who need to know.

The Health Committee is tracking the impact of COVID-19 across all ISU campuses.  By self-reporting your symptoms or a recent positive COVID test, you are helping the Health Committee get a better idea of COVID-19 risk across our campus community.  This information helps inform decisions about safety measures and helps us connect students, faculty, and staff to resources and services that can help during these challenging times.  You self-report by completing Covid-19 symptoms, exposure & test result self-reporting form

ISU is requesting voluntary self-reporting of COVID-19 like illness, exposure to a positive case and positive test results. You self-report by completing Covid-19 symptoms, exposure & test result self-reporting form

Contact Student Affairs for assistance at (208) 282-2794.  The Health Committee will work directly with the Dean of Students to coordinate opportunities for student education.

Faculty should develop attendance policies that allow students to be physically absent from class when they are exposed or ill or when household members are ill without fear of academic repercussions. This does not mean, however, that students must be excused from completing work missed while ill or under quarantine.

Contact tracing will be performed for positive cases in the campus community. Individuals determined to have had close contact with the positive person will be notified by the Health Department and/or University-based contact tracers and instructed to quarantine. If local or university health officials determine the risk to be significant, widespread notification will take place facilitated by the University COVID-19 Health Committee.

If physical distancing and appropriate face covering use is maintained throughout the entire class period, individuals in the class will likely not need to quarantine. 

If a member of your household had close contact with a known COVID-19 patient, that person should follow CDC guidelines on quarantine and isolation. If this person tests positive or develops symptoms, you must follow the guidance provided under “What should I do if I was exposed to someone with COVID-19?”

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.  You can access the CDC Symptom Self-Checker to see symptoms.

Any COVID-19 symptoms are assumed to be due to COVID-19 and are treated as such until a medical professional determines otherwise.

If you are symptomatic or test positive, you should:

• Go home immediately to self-isolate.   
• Report the illness by completing this form.
• Notify your faculty members and they will work with you to develop a list of individuals in your courses that you may have had close contact with. Faculty members will report that information to the University to begin the contact tracing process. 
• Students in campus housing should contact their Resident Assistant for assistance.
• Contact your primary care provider via phone to determine the need for testing for COVID-19. If you do not have a primary care provider, contact University Health at (208) 282-2330 (Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls) or Unity Health (208) 895-6729 (Meridian)
• Follow the recommendations provided by your healthcare provider.  
• Participate in contact tracing and follow recommendations provided by the local health department or University COVID-19 Health Committee.

Follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine.