COVID-19 Updates
Last updated Jan. 20, 2022
Updated Isolation and Quarantine Guidance
UND will follow the updated isolation and quarantine guidelines recommended by the CDC and North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) on Dec. 28, 2021. Review information to determine what to do if you have COVID-19 or if you are a close contact to someone with COVID-19.
Isolation (Positive for COVID-19)
Isolation is used to separate people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from those without COVID-19.
Students and employees who are in isolation with COVID-19 (cases) should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. Generally, cases will need to isolate for at least 5-days after symptoms develop, or test date if asymptomatic.
How long do I isolate?
Please review the information at the links below to for current isolation guidance, including information about how long you should isolate.
Quarantine (Close Contacts)
Quarantine is a strategy used to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 apart from others. Close contacts are people who were less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
Quarantine guidance for household and close contacts is based on vaccination status. You may need to stay home for 5 or more days if you might have been exposed to COVID-19. Household contacts may need to stay home while the case is in isolation and for an additional 5-days after the case has been released.
How long do I quarantine?
Please review the information at the links below to for current quarantine guidance, including information about how long you should quarantine.
COVID-19 Testing Incentives for Students
UND students who get tested for COVID-19 will receive a $10 voucher for use at on-campus dining locations in the Memorial Union and Wilkerson Commons. Students may receive a maximum of three vouchers per week.
The vouchers are available at the following testing locations:
- Fritz Pollard Athletic Center
- Wilkerson Commons
Students can only test once per day and should bring their UND student ID for verification.
Home Testing
At-home COVID-19 tests are available for ordering. They are free and will be shipped to you. There is a limit of four tests per household.
If you use an at-home test and it is positive for COVID-19, you should self-isolate for five days and contact your medical provider as needed. Because laboratory testing supplies are limited, it is not recommended to get an additional test from a testing or medical center.
Reporting Home Tests
Students are asked to report positive tests, including home tests.
Faculty and staff are required to immediately report positive tests in accordance with guidance from the N.D. Department of Health and CDC.
Those testing positive at home will not be contacted by someone from the UND contact tracing team, since home testing results are not reported to the North Dakota Department of Health. Students, staff and faculty may contact the UND contact tracing team via und.covid19hotline@UND.edu for further information and guidance as needed.
Travel
If you have traveled, please test for COVID-19 before returning to campus, regardless of vaccination status.
Please refer to the International Travel Safety site for official UND policy, guidelines, and UND-affiliated travel registration. Questions regarding international travel should be directed to Angie Carpenter.
Indoor Mask Mandate
UND continues to monitor the rate of transmission regarding COVID-19 safety precautions. The campus mask requirement will continue until the rate of transmission in Grand Forks County falls below 55 active cases per 100,000/week.
UND requires masks in indoor public spaces defined as:
- Hallways
- Classrooms
- Open seating lounges
- Teaching laboratories
- Academic buildings
- Administrative buildings
- Chester Fritz Library
- Student Health Services
- University Children’s Learning Center
- Wilkerson Commons (except when eating)
- Memorial Union (except when eating)
- Not individual offices or private living spaces
University business conducted in non-university facilities, such as admission activities at the Gorecki Alumni Center, are also covered by this requirement.
Masks are strongly encouraged in all other public spaces. These include facilities such as residence hall common areas, campus apartments common areas, the Wellness Center, and athletic facilities. When meetings are scheduled in residence hall common areas, masks will be required.
Widespread use of masks drastically reduces the number of people required to quarantine after a positive case of COVID-19, by the Department of Health policy. This simple step of wearing masks when we are in groups will blunt the impact of quarantines and allow us to most effectively continue or on-campus education.
Free KN95 Masks
UND is providing KN95 masks at no charge. These masks are designed for use by adults only and will not fit children. Students, faculty and staff can pick them up from:
Student Involvement Office
Memorial Union
Office of Public Safety
3851 Campus Rd
Staff and faculty can also obtain these masks for their department through the COVID supply ordering process.
Instructions for Use and Wear of KN95 or PHG N95 Masks
KN95 means that this is a N95 design manufactured and tested overseas. Your mask(s) have been tested and it has been determined that they cannot be “fit-tested” for use in place of a N95 mask. This means that your mask(s) are NOT suitable for use in situations where a fit-tested N95 mask is recommended (for example for certain medical procedures).
They can however, be used in place of a surgical mask or a cloth face covering in the following scenarios:
- General wear in your building.
- Use in the classroom or other area where many people are together for an extended length of time.
- Use in cases of close contact with a group of students where a six-foot physical distance cannot be maintained.
While they are not washable, with proper care, your masks should be reusable for an extended period of time. You can use your mask as long as breathing remains comfortable. When it becomes soiled, please throw it away in the normal trash or in a mask-recycling container.
To keep your mask clean between uses, store your mask in a paper bag for 48 hours before wearing again. You can wear a plastic face shield to prevent your mask from becoming soiled.
- If possible, wash or sanitize your hands immediately before and after putting your mask on and immediately before and after taking it off when planning to reuse it.
- Place the mask over your face with the bottom below your chin and the nosepiece up.
- Adjust straps, with the top strap behind your head and the lower strap below your ears. Do not cross the straps.
- Loop the straps behind your ears and adjust the metal nose clip using fingers from both hands to mold the metal to the shape of your nose.
- Adjust fit as necessary to reduce air flow around the mask.
Flu Shots
Flu cases have been high this year. Getting your flu shot can reduce your likelihood of getting sick or reduce your symptoms of the illness. This not only protects you, but it will also protect the strain on our health care systems during the pandemic.
Visit Student Health Services for more information.
COVID-19 Cases
UND reports COVID-19 cases in a real-time dashboard.
Student, employee, and patient confidentiality laws prohibit disclosure of identities and their test results. These statistics are reflective of information obtained by the University, in close cooperation with local and state health departments. There may be additional positive cases of which the University has not been made aware. Confirmed and active cases at UND should not be considered exhaustive. The numbers reflected are to the best of the University’s knowledge.