COVID-19 Employee Resources

Faculty and staff must self-monitor for symptoms each day before arriving on campus. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills, new cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue/muscle body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion/runny nose, nausea/vomiting, or diarrhea that are unexplained or different from a known health condition. It is important to remember that individuals may experience only very mild symptoms and still test positive for COVID-19.

If you have any symptoms—even mild symptoms—please do NOT report to work. Notify your manager or department head that you are home with symptoms and cannot report to work on campus.  If you start to experience symptoms while at work on campus, please go home. In either case, seek COVID-19 testing (PCR or antigen) and contact your primary care provider if you have questions.

Symptomatic Testing

If you test negative using an antigen or PCR test you must stay home until symptoms significantly improve. Do not send test results to your manager or department head, and you are not required to report negative results to Human Resources.

• If you test negative using an antigen or PCR test, but your symptoms do not quickly improve or worsen after three days, please continue to stay home and contact Mary Cote in Human Resources (mcote@bowdoin.edu, 725-3033) for additional guidance.
• If you test positive, stay home and contact Mary Cote in Human Resources (mcote@bowdoin.edu, 725-3033) immediately for guidance and next steps.

If you are fully vaccinated and boosted, and you do not have any symptoms

• You may work on campus as normal, but you must wear a mask at all times in public and on campus for ten days and you must arrange for testing on day five after the exposure.

If you are fully vaccinated but not boosted, partially vaccinated, or completely unvaccinated

• You must stay home in quarantine for five full days. After five days, you will need a negative antigen or PCR test to return to work on campus.
• Advise your manager and Mary Cote in Human Resources (mcote@bowdoin.edu, 725-3033) that you may have been or were exposed to COVID-19 and are not fully vaccinated or are unvaccinated due to an approved vaccine exemption for guidance.
• Mary Cote in Human Resources will provide you with an eMed antigen test and the instructions for its use. The eMed antigen tests are observed tests taken via the NAVICA app, and the results are available to you and HR immediately following the test. Provided that the test result is negative and you remain symptom-free, you may return to work on campus after your five-day quarantine period.

1. Will there be COVID-19 testing on campus this summer?
COVID-19 PCR surveillance testing on campus will be discontinued after Thursday, May 26. For faculty, staff, and resident students experiencing symptoms or who have been exposed on campus to someone who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, an antigen testing station will be available for limited hours during the summer outside Thorne Hall.

2. I have an approved COVID-19 vaccination exemption or booster exemption, do I need to test this summer?
No, campus surveillance testing will end as of Thursday, May 26 for all faculty and staff. Employees with approved vaccination exemptions will not need to test during the summer unless otherwise notified by Human Resources.

3. Are masks no longer required on campus?
Fully vaccinated faculty and staff who have received the original series and, if eligible, a booster shot do not need to be masked on campus except in the Children’s Center. Employees with approved COVID-19 vaccination exemptions must continue to be masked at all times indoors using a surgical, KN95, or equivalent (N95, KF-94) mask. Cloth masks are not approved for use at the College. If an employee with an approved vaccination exemption needs to remove their mask to eat or drink on campus, they must be socially distanced from other faculty and staff.

4. Since the College is offering limited antigen testing hours on campus, how else can I obtain an antigen test?
Our medical insurance carrier continues to reimburse employees for the cost of tests purchased at local retail pharmacies (e.g., Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc.) and testing is also widely available in the community through pharmacies and medical facilities. Residential households in the U.S. are also eligible to order free at-home tests on USPS.com. For more information visit the United States Post Office website at https://special.usps.com/testkits.

5. What kind of COVID-19 testing is acceptable?
The College will accept either a PCR or antigen test result, though a confirmatory PCR test may be required together with an antigen test in certain circumstances.

6. If I have questions regarding the Summer 2022 COVID-19 protocols or procedures, who do I contact?
Please contact Mary Cote in Human Resources with any questions regarding COVID–19 protocols or procedures for this summer (mcote@bowdoin.edu, (207) 725-3033).

7. I am planning to go on vacation during the summer, are there any testing procedures for returning to work?
As long as you are symptom-free and have not experienced an exposure to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, there are no testing requirements to return to work.

8. What do I do if I test positive for COVID-19?

1. Stay home in isolation and contact your manager and Mary Cote (mcote@bowdoin.edu, (207) 725-3033) in Human Resources as soon as possible. Mary Cote will follow up with you and mail you two eMed/NAVICA antigen tests and the instructions for their use.
2. You must stay home in isolation for seven full days after the date you tested positive (day 0). After seven days if you have no symptoms or your symptoms have significantly improved, you may use one of the eMed antigen tests. If negative, you may return to work on campus and release yourself from isolation. IMPORTANT: You must be masked at all times in public and on campus through day ten after your initial isolation period ends. If you need to remove your mask to eat or drink on campus, you must be socially distanced from other faculty and staff.
3. If after seven full days in isolation your symptoms have not significantly improved, or they have improved but you still test positive on day seven, remain in isolation for the complete ten days. On day ten, antigen test again and if you are negative you are clear to leave isolation and return to work on campus. If after ten days you are still experiencing symptoms and still testing positive on an antigen test, please contact Mary Cote in Human Resources for direction on testing requirements to return to work on campus.

9. What if the date on my eMed antigen test kit indicates it is expired?
Based on new FDA guidelines, the expiration dates for our eMed kits have been extended. The test kits are now valid for six months after the expiration date printed on the box. When using the kit through NAVICA the test will still be considered unexpired.

10. What if I test positive with no symptoms?
If you test positive, even if you are asymptomatic, you must stay home in isolation as indicated by College policy. If you can work from home, you may do so. If you are not able to work from home, Human Resources will work with you and your manager to determine pay (i.e., sick time or an award of emergency sick time, if eligible, once your own sick time balance is depleted).

11. Does the College conduct contact tracing for positive cases of faculty and staff?
The College does not conduct individual campus contact tracing for each positive case identified. Human Resources will advise the positive faculty or staff member to notify any individual they believe is a close contact (a cumulative fifteen minutes over a twenty-four-hour period, closer than six feet and unmasked). If fully vaccinated, an individual is considered a close contact, but can continue to work on campus masked and must arrange for testing after five days. If the employee has a COVID-19 vaccine exemption or is not fully vaccinated, they must quarantine at home for five days following the exposure and arrange for testing in order to return to work on campus.

12. How do I record my time if I need to isolate or quarantine? 

For day-to-day absences due to illness, employees must use their sick time. If no sick time is available, vacation time must be used. Awards of emergency sick time will be considered for employees whose sick time balances are depleted. Please contact Mary Cote (mcote@bowdoin.edu or 725-3033) for additional information.



13. What time do I record in Workday if my spouse/partner or child is sick (non-COVID-19 illness), and I need to remain home?  

The College’s family care absence policy provides up to 40 hours of job-protected leave per calendar year. The time can be drawn from your sick or vacation balances as “Family Care Absence–Sick” or “Family Care Absence–Vacation.” If both balances are depleted, it can be taken as unpaid time “Family Care Absence–Unpaid.” This allowance can also be used for illness or medical appointments where your presence is required for a spouse/partner, child, or parent.

14. My child’s school/classroom or daycare has announced a temporary closure due to COVID-19, or my child must stay home in quarantine, and I need to be home to provide care.  How do I proceed?

The College will provide a one-time award of up to 7 paid days off (up to 56 hours) for a sudden public school or daycare closure in connection with COVID-19 or when your child must stay home to quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure when other childcare plans cannot be made. This policy will be in effect from September 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022 and will be renewed for the coming academic year for the time period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.  All benefits-eligible faculty and staff are eligible. Eligible employees must make the request to Mary Cote in Human Resources (mcote@bowdoin.edu (207) 725-3033), and a notice from the school/daycare of the emergency closure or required quarantine must be provided in order to approve the request. If additional time is needed it must be taken as vacation time. Managers are also asked to work with employees on altered work schedules during times of public school/daycare closures.



15. My position requires me to work more directly with the campus community, and even though they are vaccinated, this makes me very uncomfortable. Do I have to come to campus?

You will be expected to fulfill the essential functions of your position on campus or through a hybrid work schedule if approved to do so. If your physician indicates you have a medical necessity for accommodation requiring you to work remotely, please contact Human Resources (mcote@bowdoin.edu or 207-725-3033) for additional guidance and next steps.



16. Can I receive my COVID-19 booster shot on paid time?

The College will allow hourly employees to use up to two hours of paid time to receive their COVID-19 booster immunization for appointments that can’t be scheduled outside of normal working hours. COVID-19 booster shots are available at local Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS pharmacies, as well as the pharmacies within Hannaford and Shaw’s. Call ahead to check vaccine availability and whether appointments are needed. 

Updated May 24, 2022