What the Heck is Happening? Answers to Three Common Questions about Fall 2021

On Tuesday, August 10, the Office of Emergency Management and Safety (OEMS) held two virtual town hall meetings to walk through the Commonwealth’s safety and health guidelines and what NOVA is doing to implement and comply with these guidelines, with the ultimate goal of keeping our NOVA community informed, safe and healthy. With things changing quickly lately, we saw many of the same questions popping up during the town hall meetings. Below are the top three questions from the chat panel, asked and answered!

Social Distancing
VCCS and NOVA do not currently have a social distancing policy in place, meaning classes will resume normal capacity this upcoming fall semester. Should the guidance change, the most up-to-date information will be posted on NOVA’s Covid-19 Resources webpage.

Students and Face Coverings
Face coverings are required for all individuals (students, staff, faculty, college contractors and visitors) while inside any NOVA building or site. If a student does not have a face covering, the first step to take would be to remind them that face coverings are required while in a NOVA building. Providing a gentle reminder is important as face covering policies are no longer required at all public establishments, and it’s quite possible a student forgot. Face coverings are available to those who need one at NOVA Parking offices, and you can send a student to this location to receive a face covering if they forgot to bring one.

Pro-Tip: You can go to the NOVA Parking office and get a handful of disposable facemasks to keep in your classroom.

For your reference, the official Temporary Covid-19 Face Covering Policy (120) is stated as:

Non-Compliance Individuals who fail to wear face coverings in accord with this policy may be reported for noncompliance to the appropriate campus Dean of Student Success (students) or the Office of Human Resources (employees) at employeerelations@nvcc.edu. Visitors and third parties who do not adhere to this policy may be asked to leave the campus in accordance with NOVA’s Trespass Notices Policy. While disciplinary action may be a possibility for the refusal to wear a face covering, the primary focus is to encourage personal responsibility and voluntary compliance with this policy.

Fortunately, NOVA experienced very little non-compliance with the mask policy during the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. We are optimistic that there will seldom be issues of non-compliance with the face covering policy. After all, as our signage states, “Wearing is Caring”!

Exposure Notifications
NOVA encourages all students and employees to report positive Covid-19 test results to the Office of Emergency Management and Safety by emailing oem@nvcc.edu. Reporting positive test results is voluntary and helps us to monitor cases. Human Resources will notify employees, via email, if they have been in close contact with an individual who reported a positive Covid-19 test result.

The Office of Emergency Management and Safety tracks reported cases of Covid-19 to prevent any hotspots or outbreaks from occurring at the college. While NOVA is doing exposure reporting to employees following voluntary disclosures, the local health departments are responsible for contact tracing.

Stay tuned for helpful syllabus language regarding Covid-19 information in next week’s Daily Flyer and keep an eye on NOVA’s Covid-19 Resources webpage for updated FAQs regarding the fall 2021 semester.

Submitted by:
Hayley Holmes, Office of Emergency Management and Safety, HHolmes@nvcc.edu