UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — To support the health and well-being of the University community this fall, Penn State has implemented a contact tracing process in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Health as part of a layered tracing and testing approach for students and employees across all campuses.
The University’s Contact Tracing and Student Support Services program is directed by the COVID-19 Operations Control Center (COCC) and operated centrally by the Office of Student Affairs, with support and representation from the Commonwealth Campuses.
Students who test positive or are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately contact University Health Services, their campus health center, or primary care provider. Students who test positive outside of a University testing process should notify Contact Tracing and Student Support Services by completing this form. Faculty and staff who test positive will need to report their positive status to their supervisor, contact Occupational Medicine, and self-isolate off campus.
Contact tracing process
The following steps outline the contact tracing process and what students and employees can expect:
- Step 1: Penn State will identify individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19 through University testing processes or referrals.
- Step 2: Staff will initiate contact with positive students and employees.
- Step 3: Contact tracers will communicate with employees and students identified as close contacts about quarantine expectations and support.
- Step 4: Case managers will reach out to students in isolation/quarantine to provide support and will notify faculty and instructors if a student is not permitted to attend class.