Health and Safety Measures

Our highest priority is the safety and health of our students, faculty, and staff, and, by extension, their families and others they interact with when not on campus. This translates into learning experiences for students—and teaching, research, and work for faculty and staff—that are safe, rewarding, and productive, despite challenging circumstances.

To carry out our health and safety strategies, we are closely monitoring the guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and Denver Public Health. We are treating their recommendations and requirements as minimum standards when updating our plans.

Campus Safety Protocols

These protocols may change depending on the latest public health guidance.

Arriving on Campus

1. All individuals—students, faculty, and staff— seeking to return to campus are required to take the one-time SkillSoft training “COVID-19 Return to Campus - CU Denver ” before returning to campus for the first time. Please take a screenshot of your course completion certificate for display if requested at a check-in station.  
2. Each morning before returning to campus, you must take your own temperature and then complete a daily health attestation  that involves answering a few questions on recent symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 and verification of a normal temperature. An approval confirmation email will be sent following completion of the attestation. You should be prepared to show this at a check-in station.
3. Daily on-site check-in at a health check-in station will be required for everyone returning to campus, where they will show their email confirmation of the daily health attestation. Health check-in station locations are marked on this campus map. Additional health check-in stations will be added as more people return to campus.

4. Those who pass the health check will be issued a color-coded wrist band allowing them to enter campus buildings for that day.
5. All students, staff, and faculty are required to visibly wear their CU Denver ID badge when on campus. The Auraria ID Station offers online photo submission for ID badges.
6. Most buildings will have one entry point and one exit point designated. All other building entrances will be locked at all times. The one designated entry point for buildings with scheduled class times will be unlocked during regular class times. Outside of regular business hours, building entrances will remain locked and accessible only by ID badge reader. Personnel with existing badges have retained the access levels that were previously authorized. For any new access requests or changes to existing access levels, please contact Facilities at dc_facilities_dispatch@ucdenver.edu.

While on Campus

1. Masks must be worn by all individuals on campus, both indoors and outdoors. Masks should have two or more layers of washable breathable fabric, should completely cover your nose and mouth, and should fit snugly against the sides of your face.The only exception for face coverings is working alone in a closed workspace. You should bring and use your own face covering. The university will supply single-use face coverings to those who need a face covering or forget to bring their own. For additional guidance, visit the CDC's guide to masks.
2. Frequent hand-washing with soap throughout the day is encouraged.
3. The campus has instituted a “stay to the right” protocol for moving around campus and in buildings.
   • Stay to the right on paths and walkways when moving around campus and between buildings
   • Stay to the right in the direction of travel in hallways when moving through buildings
   • Stay to the right when ascending or descending a stairwell
4. The university recommends using stairs if you are able.  Elevators will be prioritized for ADA use and maximum elevator occupancy is two persons per elevator unless posted otherwise.
5. Individuals should follow safe-distancing guidelines, always allowing at least 6 feet of space between themselves and others, front and back, both inside and outside of buildings.
6. Follow signs that indicate:
   • Any dedicated building entrances and exits
   • Floor prompts for queueing in any location where lines may form
   • General protocol messages regarding hand-washing, the use of protective equipment, and social distancing in commons areas, near entrances, restrooms, and other high traffic areas

If You May Have COVID-19

If you have symptoms or have had recent close contact with someone who may have COVID-19, please stay home so others are not exposed. Submit a self-report if you have symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and contact the Auraria Health Center at 303-615-9999, so we can track any campus outbreaks. If you are a student, get in touch with your instructor to make alternative arrangements for class attendance or assignments; if you are an employee, contact your supervisor.

Contact Tracing

CU Denver is conducting contact tracing for COVID-19. Contact tracing is an important public health activity that involves interviewing people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The purpose is to identify others (“contacts”) who are at risk of infection due to their contact with a person who has tested positive, inform them of their potential exposure, and provide quarantine advice and support. This process reduces disease transmission by separating people who have COVID-19 from people who do not.

In the event of a positive case of COVID-19 on campus, CU Denver contact tracers will reach out to the individual and those who have had close contact with them on campus (while protecting student, faculty, and staff privacy), and will work with instructors whose in-person classes involve a positive case. Denver County Public Health will conduct contact tracing for the person’s off-campus contacts and Auraria Health Services will also maintain this information for use in our campus contact tracing and isolation efforts.

Building and Cleaning Protocols

Safety practices for building and room access and use, and for cleaning and disinfecting these spaces, are outlined in detail.

Remember, we all must take extra precautions, and work together, to help maintain a clean and safe environment to provide and participate in on-campus learning, teaching, and service delivery.

Building and Room Protocols

Read and apply procedures on safety practices for all classrooms, labs, and common areas. Instructions regarding daily health check-ins, building entrances and exits, and safety signage are also included. Compliance with these protocols is necessary for protecting the collective health of our university, and all members of the campus community are encouraged to review.

Cleaning Protocols

Read and apply procedures on new cleaning and disinfecting measures enacted to minimize the risk of on-campus transmission. These measures apply to all CU Denver buildings, both owned and shared. Depending on the governance of each building, however, custodial responsibilities for cleaning and disinfecting vary.