BCCC Updates Its COVID-19 Procedure

Beaufort County Community College is updating its procedures for managing COVID-19 infections and exposures as of August 12, 2022, to follow the guidelines released by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on August 11, 2022. These guidelines apply to employees and students.

1. For people who are well, wearing masks on campus is optional but highly recommended in all group settings.
2. People who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine away from campus for 5 days, but may return to campus or class after 5 days if they do not run a fever for at least 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicines. They must continue to wear a mask in all group settings for another 5 days after returning to campus. If they test negative for COVID-19 with 2 antigen tests that are taken at least 48 hours apart, they may discontinue masking, even if they have not completed the second 5-day period.
3. Students must tell their faculty members that they have tested positive for COVID-19 and must quarantine for 5 days. Faculty and staff must inform their immediate supervisors of a positive COVID-19 test and must quarantine for 5 days.
4. People who are exposed to a person with COVID-19 should take a COVID-19 test 5 days after the exposure or sooner if they experience symptoms. Determining exposure depends on several variables: the length of time spent with the infected person (less time is better); distance from the infected person (farther away is better), whether masks were worn (less likely to be infected), and whether the person has a compromised immune system (more likely to be infected).
5. The College will no longer engage in contact tracing of either students or faculty/staff who are exposed to or infected with COVID-19. The virus is widespread, making contact tracing ineffective.
6. People who test positive for COVID-19 should immediately inquire of their medical professional about the use of antiviral drugs, which may lessen the severity and length of infection.

The COVID-19 virus continues to be present and the development of new variants makes its future effects hard to predict. The College encourages its community members to protect themselves and each other by taking a COVID-19 test if they have symptoms of the virus or believe they were exposed to someone who is positive for the virus. And, if they are positive for COVID-19, stay home until they have remained fever-free without fever-reducing medicines for at least 24 hours.