#ReturnOfPirateNation: Community Expectations
All of Pirate Nation will need to work together to ensure a safe and successful spring semester as we continue to battle COVID-19. #PiratesProtectPirates by following the COVID-19 Community Expectations — wearing a face covering/mask, remaining six feet apart, completing the daily health screening, participating in campus testing opportunities and complying with gathering guidelines.
ECU’s COVID-19 Community Expectations:
- Wear a face covering
- Wait six feet apart to practice physical distancing
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often
- Protect the ECU community
- Screen for symptoms daily
- Submit the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form
- Engage in smaller group and virtual settings
- Clean and disinfect personal spaces
- Follow immunization recommendations
In accordance with the University’s Regulation on Face Coverings-Interim, face coverings must be worn in all settings, including classrooms, by students, faculty, staff and visitors, from entering the building to leaving the building and in indoor common spaces such as lobbies and hallways. Face coverings must also be worn in outside areas when individuals are unable to social or physical distance.
Disposable masks
may only be worn for only one day and then must be properly discarded.
Cloth face coverings
must only be worn for only one day at a time and must be properly laundered between each use. Having a week’s supply of cloth face coverings can help reduce the need for daily laundering.
Employees
whose jobs require the use of PPE, including respirators, will do so in accordance with instructions from supervisors
Keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to the COVID-19 virus and to slow its spread. Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread the virus. Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at a higher risk of getting very sick. Research has shown that transmission of COVID-19 can occur even when individuals are asymptomatic. Follow these physical distancing practices:
STAY
at least 6 feet (about two arms’ length) from other people at all times.
DO NOT
gather in groups of 10 or more.
AVOID
crowded places and mass gatherings.
WASH your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
Ensure proper hand hygiene:
- After you have been in a public place.
- After blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing or touching your face.
If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Individuals and groups, including student and community organizations, should limit in-person programs, events and social gatherings to the number of individuals specified by national, state and local guidance. On-campus space reservations will be limited to those individuals and groups that abide by this guidance.
Please visit East Carolina University’s information on gathering limits for the current gathering restrictions mandated by the State of North Carolina. As allowed by the UNC System, ECU may impose gathering guidelines that differ from those stated in Gov. Roy Cooper’s NC executive order(s). Criteria are determined using limits set forth in executive orders and may be revised as COVID-19 regulations change. ECU Police will be monitoring on-and off-campus gatherings.
COVID-19 symptom list
- Fever (100.4° F/37.8° C or greater as measured by an oral thermometer)
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Known exposure to someone who has COVID19
- Cough
- Recent Body Aches/ Muscle Pain
- Loss of taste or smell
- Congestion or runny nose
- Sore Throat
- Chills
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched, such as your mobile phone, with CDC approved disinfectants. Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces. It does not kill germs but removes them, lowering their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to the use of chemicals, for example, EPA-registered disinfectants, to kill germs on surfaces.
- Regularly wipe down high-touch points.
- Wipe down with a clean cloth.
- If dirty, clean before disinfecting.
- Use a disinfectant with a 99.9% kill rate that is appropriate for the surfaces you want to disinfect.
- A bleach solution can be used as an alternative.
- Follow all instructions on the label including contact time and if rinsing is required.
Focus cleaning efforts on these 21 critical high-touch areas:
- Audio/visual devices
- Bathroom handrails
- Chair arms
- Chair seats
- Computer keyboard/mouse
- Desks/tabletops
- Door frames
- Door handles
- Elevator buttons
- Hand hygiene dispensers
- Light switches/pulls
- Lockers
- Phones
- Sink tap/sinks
- Stairway rails
- Toilet flushes
- Toilet roll dispensers
- Toilet seats
- TV remotes
- Wall mouldings
- Windowsills
Get more information on cleaning and disinfecting in the Return of Pirate Nation Cleaning and Disinfecting Current Practices PDF.
Individuals are encouraged (and may be required in certain circumstances) to remain current on their recommended immunizations that are covered by most health plans, including the annual flu shot.
ECU encourages eligible faculty, staff and students to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them. Through clinical trials across the nation, the FDA has determined the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Members of the ECU community are encouraged to consult with their primary care provider regarding questions about the vaccines.
In close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Vidant Health and our local health department, ECU has developed plans to efficiently and equitably distribute the vaccine.