USF includes masks, symptom checks and COVID-19 tests in cautious reopening plan

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee will slowly reopen its campus in phases, rolling back the return to school if COVID-19 worsens in the area.

Florida’s Board of Governors approved the reopening plan for all three of USF’s campuses on Tuesday evening. The reopening plan is organized in four phases, and each phase could be halted or reversed if COVID-19 cases increase.

The phases could also be slowed by government orders, a lack of safety equipment or “an unexpected fatality among a member of our University community,” the plan states.

Phase One allows up to 25 percent of staff to return, followed by 50 percent in the second phase, 75 percent in the third phase and a full return in the final phase. Each campus will progress at its own pace, depending on the local state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Faculty members in a ‘high risk’ category shall be given priority to teach their courses online or remotely,” the plan states.

If all goes as planned, the fall semester will include a mix of online and in-person classes. The large, lecture-based classes will be fully online, while other classes are better suited for face-to-face lessons. To stop the spread of COVID-19 after students and employees return from their holiday travels, all classes and final exams will move online after the Thanksgiving break.

“Residence halls, dining options and student support services will remain open after Thanksgiving break for students who need access through the end of the fall semester,” the plan continues.

USF said it would require social distancing and “face coverings” in shared spaces, and it vowed to supply every student and employee with two reusable and washable coverings. The plan also requires students and employees to stay home when they have COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test for the illness.

The university said “consequences for non-compliance will be clearly communicated.” According to the document, enforcement could range from a warning to suspension.

“Although the necessary safety regulations may at first seem to minimize social interaction, the focus is on physically distancing rather than on social distancing,” the plan states. “USF departments will continue to hold events and students will have opportunities to engage in social activities both face to face and virtually.”

Along with its four phases, USF outlined three ways to measure the plan’s success: symptom checking, environmental sampling and COVID-19 testing. Each tool will inform USF about the effectiveness of its plan, and whether it should be reconsidered.

The plan said USF would likely require testing for students and employees who return to campus from outside the state, and that random testing would continue throughout the school year.

“In concert with the Florida Department of Health and our county governments, we intend to make voluntary testing in our communities convenient and to test randomly selected samples of our population on a bi-weekly basis,” it states.

USF also plans to continually survey its staff and students for COVID-19 symptoms, and to use “environmental sampling of frequently touched surfaces.”

Visitors will follow the same guidelines, including the use of face coverings and physical distancing. Likewise, the university will ask students and staff to practice the safety measures both on and off campus.

“The responsibility to control the spread of COVID-19 is one we share with our surrounding counties; their success is ours and vice versa,” the plan states.

This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.