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Return to Work Guidance

See topics forCOVID-19 Information for Employees

COVID-19 Guidance for Workforce Members

Updated 05/24/2024

What to Do If You Test COVID Positive or Have Symptoms

If you are a UConn Health employee who has:

  • Symptoms of respiratory illness (e.g., COVID-19, flu, RSV) or
  • Tested positive for COVID-19

Which decision chart applies to you depends upon whether you are:

Please follow these guidelines when you have symptoms of respiratory illness, such as COVID-19, flu, or RSV or you test positive for COVID-19.

When to Contact the COVID-19 Call Center

All UConn Health workforce members and students should continue to call the UConn Health COVID-19 Call Center at 860-679-3199 if they test positive for COVID. 

Important Highlights

Do not come to work if you have symptoms or test positive. Stay home and use your regular call-out procedures if you are home. If you are at work, continue wearing your mask at all times and notify your supervisor so you can coordinate going home as soon as possible.

Know if your position is one that is considered “Clinical” or “Clinical Support.” This is determined by your senior leadership. Ask your manager if you don’t know your status. 

Workforce members who have experienced a high-risk exposure* may continue working with certain precautions, as long as they do NOT have symptoms. 

*A “high-risk exposure” is defined as being within 6 feet of someone who is (or turns out to be) COVID-positive, for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period of time, if either of you is not masked. Please note, that this is regardless of your vaccination status, and applies even to those who are considered critical, front-line members of our workforce.

If you’ve had a high-risk exposure please make sure to do the following:

  • Perform 3 at home COVID tests 48 hours apart for 7 days from your last exposure. If at any time you test positive, follow the instructions on the decision charts linked above.
  • Follow extra precautions while at work, for 10 days from your last exposure. Extra precautions include wearing a procedure mask at all times and eating in isolation. Follow the decision trees above if you develop symptoms.

Different standards may apply if you have continuous high-risk exposure, such as a situation where you cannot effectively quarantine from the COVID-19-positive individual who is a dependent household member and cannot isolate. Please call the COVID Call Center to receive individualized guidance if you have continuous high-risk exposure to COVID-19. 
Any member of our workforce who tests positive for COVID-19 must stay away from work for a period of time. This will depend on your symptoms and whether your role is clinical in nature. The COVID Call Center will provide you with further guidance on the specific time period.

Calculating return-to-work days: For those who are COVID positive, Day 0 = the date of symptom onset or positive test (if asymptomatic). For those with high-risk exposure, Day 0 = the date of most recent high-risk exposure.