A COVID-19 Update:

Remember, if you are sick, please stay home even if you don’t think it is COVID! 

What is a breakthrough case?

A breakthrough case happens when someone who is fully vaccinated (14 days past their final vaccine dose) tests positive for the virus

What are the symptoms?

The top five symptoms for people with a breakthrough infection are headache, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and loss of smell. Very similar to a head cold or sinus infections but also include fever, chills, cough, fatigue, muscle or body aches, nausea, diarrhea and loss of taste.

If you experience symptoms and/or have been directly exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual, please contact Kathy Muller – 712-362-0433 or kmuller@iowalakes.educreate new email - for further directions and to determine your return to campus date.

To minimize COVID-19 exposures/cases on campuses, we are sharing the Iowa Department of Public Health’s most recent COVID-19 guidance/best practices.  We are asking all employees at Iowa Lakes to adhere to them.

Fully vaccinated:

Per CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to stay home following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

However, fully vaccinated people who have been exposed to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, but show no symptoms, should be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.  Fully vaccinated people should still self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following an exposure even after a negative test. 

Fully vaccinated people who experience COVID-19 symptoms should stay home, be clinically evaluated, and be tested for COVID-19 infection if clinically indicated.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after completion of their vaccination series (i.e. 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine).

Unvaccinated:

Unvaccinated, asymptomatic contacts are advised to stay home to monitor for symptoms.

To help further reduce risk of spreading the virus, unvaccinated persons who are exposed but remain healthy (no symptoms) will be advised to stay home to monitor for symptoms. This approach can help to reduce the risk of spread to other people.

Individuals exposed to COVID-19 may develop symptoms from 2-14 days after exposure.

However, exposed individuals can reduce the length of time they are recommended to stay home from 14 days via the following options:

• Stay home through Day 10 if no symptoms have developed.
• Stay home through Day 7 if the exposed person tests negative and no symptoms have developed. The test must be done no earlier than day 5.

NOTE: In all cases, the individual should continue to monitor for symptoms and are recommended to wear a mask when indoors around others through Day 14 to minimize risk of spread.

In effort to minimize COVID-19 exposures/cases on campuses, we are sharing the Iowa Department of Public Health's most recent COVID-19 guidance/best practices. We are asking all students at Iowa Lakes to adhere to them. 

Fully Vaccinated:
Vaccinated contacts do not need to stay home, but should monitor for symptoms and get tested 

Fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to stay home following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. However, fully vaccinated people should still self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following an exposure. 

Vaccinated contacts should get tested 3-5 days after exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms, and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

Fully vaccinated people who experience COVID-19 symptoms should stay home, be clinically evaluated, and be tested for COVID-19 infection if clinically indicated. Fully vaccinated people should inform their health care provider of their vaccination status at the time of presentation to care.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after completion of their vaccination series (i.e. 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine).

Unvaccinated:
Unvaccinated, asymptomatic contacts are advised to stay home to monitor for symptoms.

To help further reduce risk of spreading the virus, unvaccinated persons who are exposed but remain healthy (no symptoms) are advised to stay home to monitor for symptoms. This approach can help to reduce the risk of spread to other people.

Individuals exposed to COVID-19 may develop symptoms from 2-14 days after exposure.

However, exposed individuals can reduce the length of time they are recommended to stay home from 14 days via the following options:

Stay home through Day 10 if no symptoms have developed.

Stay home through Day 7 if the exposed person tests negative and no symptoms have developed. The specimen must be collected within 48 hours before leaving the home (i.e. not earlier than Day 5).

NOTE: In all cases, the individual should continue to monitor for symptoms and are recommended to wear a mask when around others through Day 14 to minimize risk of spread.

At Iowa Lakes, our student and campus community’s health and safety are of great importance to us, so we are constantly monitoring local COVID-19/variant conditions.  While not required, vaccination for everyone who is eligible continues to be the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 illness and stop the spread of COVID-19. The vaccine and wearing a mask are two practices that best protect all of us from contracting the virus.  Ultimately, it is everyone’s responsibility to take steps to protect themselves.

Below you will find our current protocols, however; they are fluid and are subject to change as conditions evolve. We frequently update protocols, so these make look a bit different than previous versions. 

Covid-19 Protocols:

• Students are encouraged to get vaccinated and to wear a mask until fully vaccinated. 
• If you are sick, please stay home.
• Covid-19 testing is available for students. The Campus Stores on Estherville / Emmetsburg campuses and the front desk on the Spencer campus have free home saliva test kits. Students will register for testing online, take the saliva test, send tests via UPS and receive test results back via email.  UPS is available at the Estherville/Emmetsburg Campus Store and at a drop-off box outside of the Spencer campus.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, contact Julie Williams at 712-362-7912 or Dee Hiney at 712-362-0428 and isolate for ten days.  Isolation rooms are located in campus housing for dorm residents.
• If you come in direct contact with a Covid positive individual and you are not fully vaccinated, contact Julie Williams at 712-362-7912 or Dee Hiney at 712-362-0428 to determine if you should quarantine for 10 days.  Quarantine rooms are located in campus housing for dorm residents. 
• If you come in direct contact with Covid positive individual and you are vaccinated – self monitor for symptoms.  No quarantine necessary unless symptom arise.
• Good handwashing and respiratory practice are expected.
• Health check– perform daily on your own.  If symptoms present themselves, contact local health care provider or public health to determine if Covid testing is necessary.

Iowa Lakes Community College COVID-19 Protocol changes for Monday May 17, 2021

Assumptions

• State of Iowa's weekly positive percentages remains below 5%.
• COVID-19 variants are under control.
• Most individuals desiring a vaccine have been vaccinated.

Protocols

• Social distancing restrictions removed for all fully vaccinated employees and students.
• For fully vaccinated individuals, masks are optional. Please refer to the CDC guidance issued on May 13, 2021, for additional information.
• Masks are required for large, indoor activity (based on adequate space). Example: Ten people in a small room would require masks.  Ten people in a standard classroom would not be required to wear masks.
• Unvaccinated individuals are required to wear face coverings and socially distance at all times. (Based on the honor system.)
• Most plexiglass will be removed.
• Summer camps will be held with vaccines encouraged for all who are eligible.
• Main doors will be open to the public.
• Fully vaccinated employees and students are not subject to isolation quarantine protocols when exposed to a COVID-positive individual.

The CDC updated the COVID-19 guidelines for fully vaccinated people on May 13, 2021. There are activities that will still require mask wearing and social distancing.

If you are traveling over Spring Break, check out the COVID specifics for your destination and know your Travel Risk.

Updated Feb. 2, 2021

Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

If you must travel, learn which travel activities are safer and take the following steps to  opens in a new windowprotect yourself and others from COVID-19. Keep in mind that getting from one place to another is just one piece of the travel risk. Your activities and who you interact with before, during, and after travel may increase your risk.

• If you are eligible, get fully  opens in a new windowvaccinated for COVID-19. Wait 2 weeks after getting your second vaccine dose to travel—it takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination.
• Get tested with a  opens in a new windowviral test 1-3 days before you travel. Keep a copy of your test results with you during travel in case you are asked for them. Do NOT travel if you test positive.
• Check  opens in a new windowtravel restrictions before you go.
• opens in a new windowWear a mask over your nose and mouth when in public settings.  opens in a new windowMasks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
• Avoid crowds and  opens in a new windowstay at least 6 feet/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who did not travel with you. It’s important to do this everywhere — both indoors and outdoors.
• opens in a new windowWash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
• Bring extra supplies, such as masks and hand sanitizer.
• Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

opens in a new windowKnow when you should not travel. Do not travel if you or your travel companions are sick, have tested positive for COVID-19, or were exposed to a person with COVID-19.

The transportation you use, type of accommodation you stay in, and the activities you do during travel can increase your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 while traveling also are higher if you come into  opens in a new windowclose contact with others, especially people you don’t know, or use shared public facilities like restrooms. COVID-19 is spreading in the United States and in  opens in a new windowmany international destinations. Visiting locations where there are fewer cases of COVID-19 may be safer than visiting locations where there are more cases of COVID-19.

All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States. See the  opens in a new windowFrequently Asked Questions  for more information.

Transportation

Your chances of getting COVID-19 while traveling depends not only on the length of the trip and the number of stops, but also on whether you and those around you take precautions, such as  opens in a new windowwearing masks and staying at least 6 feet /2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from other people. Airports, bus and train stations, and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus  opens in a new windowthrough respiratory droplets or on surfaces. These are also places where it can be hard to  opens in a new windowkeep your distance. In general, the longer you are around a person with COVID-19, even if they do not have symptoms, the more likely you are to get infected.

When traveling  opens in a new windowwear a mask for the duration of your trip and at your destination.  opens in a new windowMasks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.

During car travel, making stops along the way for gas, food, or bathroom breaks can put you and your traveling companions in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. If traveling in a RV, you may have to stop less often for food or bathroom breaks, but you could still be in close contact with others while staying at RV parks overnight and while getting gas and supplies at public places.

Traveling on buses and trains for any length of time can involve sitting or standing within 6 feet/2 meters of others, which may increase your risk of getting COVID-19. If you choose to travel by bus or train, learn what you can do to  opens in a new windowprotect yourself on public transportation.

Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. However, keeping your distance is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within 6 feet/2 meters of others, sometimes for hours, may make you more likely to get COVID-19.

Traveling Internationally? All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States, see the  opens in a new windowFrequently Asked Questions about this requirement for more information.

Check CDC’s  opens in a new windowCOVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination before planning your trip.

Iowa Public Health clarified the guidelines for being released from quarantine.

Clarification of early quarantine release and masking

• When someone comes back early from quarantine (ie. 7 or 10 days instead of 14) Public Health requires the person to wear a mask through day 14 while they are around other people. 
• If the person wants to do an activity during this time where they can't/won't wear a mask (e.g. sports), then they can't play the sport during that time. 
• If you can't/won't wear a mask during a specific activity, you can't do the activity during this time. 
• If you can't/won't wear a mask at all, you need to stay home through day 14.  Masks and social distancing will still be required when on campus.

Quarantine can end after Day 10 if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring

• testing is not required
• continue to monitor for symptoms until the end of the 14 days
• it is recommended to wear a mask, social distance, and wash hands frequently until the end of the 14 days

Quarantine can end after Day 7 if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring AND if you have tested negative for COVID-19

• the COVID-19 test must be collected on Day 5 or later after the exposure
• continue to monitor for symptoms until the end of the 14 days
• it is recommended to wear a mask, social distance, and wash hands frequently until the end of the 14 days

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) made changes in the quarantine guidelines.

Persons quarantined due to a possible or known exposure to COVID-19 have been required to isolate for 14 days. The following options to shorten quarantine are now acceptable.

• Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
• Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a person tests on Day 5 with negative results and no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
• In both cases, you must continue to monitor symptoms and mask through Day 14.

The new guidelines apply to those currently in quarantine. This is for quarantine only! No changes have been made to the isolation guidelines.

The CDC has updated their guidelines regarding the use of gaiters and face shields. 

Iowa Lakes will allow the use of gaiters when the following applies: 

For a gaiter to be considered effective it should be made with 2-layers of fabric, or a single layer gaiter folded over to make two layers. Gaiters must cover your entire nose and mouth. 

The Iowa Department of Public Health notified local public health departments that it is making a change to the Iowa quarantine recommendations for people who have been exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, and Public Health is implementing this change, effective immediately. 

• Close contacts of COVID-positive cases will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days if a face covering was consistently worn by both people during the exposure.  However, the recommendation is still to follow the social distancing requirement of six or more feet.
• Household/residential contacts and contacts in health care settings will still have the 14-day quarantine recommendation, due to the fact that most likely face coverings were not worn by both parties. 
• Any type of face covering is acceptable; however, a face shield is not considered a face covering and quarantine is still required if one or both people were wearing a face shield only. 
• People currently in quarantine may discontinue that quarantine if both people were wearing a face covering during the time of exposure. 
• This is not a replacement for social distancing, but it should reduce the number of quarantines in school and work settings. 
• This does NOT change the isolation requirements for people that are actually sick or COVID-positive to isolate from others until: 
  o They have had no fever for at least 24 hours (that is one full day of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers) and their other symptoms have improved, AND 
  o At least 10 days have passed since their symptoms first appeared OR since they had a positive COVID test if they are asymptomatic. 

This decision was made by the Iowa Department of Public Health based on observations within Iowa and some other states that when the COVID-positive case and close contacts were both wearing face coverings at the time of exposure, the contacts were much less likely to develop illness or later test positive. IDPH wants to emphasize the importance of wearing face coverings consistently and correctly, with it covering both the nose and the mouth. Other recommendations such as social distancing, staying home when you are sick, and frequently washing or disinfecting hands continue to be important practices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

September 29, 2020 
COVID-19 update | New guidelines from Iowa Department of Public Health

The Iowa Department of Public Health provided new guidelines today about who needs to quarantine after being exposed to an individual that tests positive for COVID.

1. Always wear your face covering over your nose and mouth.  A face shield is not considered a face covering.
2. Maintain the social distancing guidelines of at least 6’.  If you are within 6’ for more than 15 minutes make sure everyone is wearing a mask that continually covers their nose and mouth.
3. By wearing your face covering over your nose and mouth, you can stop your entire class/program/team from being quarantined!  Even if you have violated the social distancing criteria.    

DO NOT wear a mask: around your neck, on your forehead, under your nose, only on your nose, on your chin, dangling from one ear, on your arm.

DO choose masks that: have 2 or more layers of washable, breathable fabric; completely cover your nose and mouth; fit snugly against the sides of your face and don't have gaps.

Special Situations: Glasses -- if you wear glasses, find a mask that fits closely over your nose or one that has a nose wire to limit fogging.

Find more information on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html