Yesterday, a college wide email was sent out confirming that a worker at the Hawai’i Community College has tested positive for COVID-19; in what seems to be a not “if” but “when” scenario for most places on the Island, especially the East side where numbers are skyrocketing.
The college was notified as soon as they tested positive and the email went on to say, that the person was last on campus Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Upon being on campus, they only came in contact with a handful of people, who now have been notified of possible exposure.
The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), was also notified and noted that anyone who had tested positive, is not allowed to return onto campus until
cleared by their Department.
The room impacted has been closed off and will be cleaned and disinfected, in accordance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance and from the campus and system COVID-19 guidelines.
Further details are not made available, in compliance with privacy and confidentiality laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
It is unknown at this time, if others who came in contact with this individual have been infected or tested, or if the individual was utilizing the University’s Geotracking system (LumiSight), prior to coming onto the campus.
Please remember that the use of masks, is mandatory on the Hawai’i Community College campus for everyone visiting.
If you start to experience symptoms and/or come into close contact
with someone who tested positive, isolate yourself as soon as
possible and contact your healthcare provider. Close contact is
defined by the CDC as being within six feet of a person with
COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more, even when both parties are
wearing face coverings.