History:
During pandemics and times of emergency, when superseding measures are required to protect the health and safety of individuals on our campus, temporary policies like this are provided to help govern these extraordinary times and efforts. This guidance aligns with the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Guidance and areas of governance and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s public guidance on Covid-19, which is the minimum standard we expect all faculty, staff, students and visitors to follow.

Pandemic-Related Temporary Regulations, Procedures, Protocols and Training
The preservation of life, including the health and safety of MHCC employees, students, and visitors, is our highest priority. To help ensure this, the college has and will continue to implement regulations, procedures, protocols, communications, and related trainings to assure the safety of all individuals on campus is maintained.

Effective immediately: the college is instituting this temporary regulation and related procedures and protocols to preserve the safety and integrity of our college employees, students, and community members while on MHCC property.

Please note: This policy is in addition to and representative of the continued adherence to all of MHCC’s previous communications regarding preventing the spread of COVID-19, issued by the college or relayed through public mandate.

Self-Screening, Social Distancing, and Vaccination
Employees, students, and visitors are required to self-screen for personal infectious potential prior to coming onto our properties and performing in-person, face-to-face activities for MHCC-related business. If symptomatic or believed to have contracted an infectious disease, STAY HOME.  Self-screening signage will be placed conspicuously throughout campus and entrances.  Room occupancies will be identified to allow a minimum of 36 square feet per person general capacity for rooms in use. Occupancy may need to be adjusted to ensure 6ft distancing.

MHCC strongly encourages, but does not require, vaccination.  Those who have completed their vaccination regimen and interim efficacy periods to be considered fully vaccinated are still recommended to follow the related face-to-face protocols defined within this Administrative Regulation. However, they are exempted from associated quarantine protocols as they are at extremely low risk of contracting and transmitting infectious diseases.

If self-screening is found to be clear with no symptoms present, individuals will be allowed on campus and must maintain a social distancing of no less than 6 feet at all times possible while performing in-person, face-to-face activities on MHCC premises and events. The establishment of appropriate occupancy will be created for the enclosed areas. This is the minimum standard. Additional measures may be implemented and required depending on the space and needs of each area and activity.

Face Covering Use
Cloth face coverings will be provided following the signed attestation as to reading this document; paper masks will be provided to employees as needed. It is not recommended for children under the age of 2 years old to wear face coverings. MHCC will make available disposable facemasks for those on campus without sufficient face covering to help comply with this rule.

The District will provide staff with training on the proper use and care of a face covering.  If you require a replacement cloth face covering, please contact your immediate supervisor as soon as possible. Masks will be available upon request.

Exceptions:

• The college recommends no less than 6 feet distancing when engaging in eating and drinking and will provide a designated space that reflects this recomndation.  When numbers warrant, the college encourages staggering break times to minimize gathering and risk.
• Extra caution and spacing must be used for “close contact” exposures when prevention tactics are reduced, like removing the mask.  Exposure through “close contact” with others occurs when within 6 feet of another for greater than 15 minutes cumulative in a 24-hour period
• It is strongly recommended that employees, students and visitors wear a paper, cloth, or disposable face covering that covers the mouth and nose at all times while participating in or performing any indoor activity where exemptions do not apply.
• If another person enters the space, masking is recommended.
• Face covering use outside is recommended where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained and encouraged at all other times.
• Exceptions are allowed when approved through a reopening plan (e.g., music students can play their instrument, with necessary precautions in place).
• OHA recommends wearing a face covering or mask instead of a face shield, except in limited situations when a face shield by itself is appropriate, like talking to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and needs to read lips to communicate. Situations outside of this may require the use of the ADA interactive process.

Cleaning and Hygiene
MHCC will disinfect the facility as identified in the MHCC Reopening Plan Exhibit E - MHCC Cleaning Protocol. All employees will be responsible for preventing the spread of biological infectious agents through cleaning and proper hygiene practices. This includes regular hand washing or hand sanitizing, covering one’s cough or sneeze (using one’s mask is ideal, or elbow or tissue), periodic disinfecting of areas, and wearing of clean and unsoiled garments as identified in posted guidelines, associated protocols and in MHCC’s plan for cleaning and disinfecting.

Contact Tracing
Employees, students, and visitors are required to participate in contact tracing measures as defined by the college in the MHCC contact tracing protocol. All Covid-19 related concerns, including exposures, presumptive cases, confirmed positive cases and/or other Covid-19 related incidents must be submitted to the safety officer via the “Covid-19 Safety Concern” report form at https://mhcc-or.safecollegesincident.com. Notification and any additional questions or follow-up may be sent to  #Environmental Health and Safety & Risk Management .  Corey Sippel and the Risk/EHS staff are the safety managers that will respond to the report and  coordinate with the county on contact tracing. MHCC contact tracing process map can be found on the MHCC COVID-19 resource page via the link below:

https://home.mhcc.edu/COVID/pdfs/Prescreening-Red-X-Contact-Tracing.pdf

Communications and Adherence
As pandemic conditions change, the measures in place and the protections they provide may change as well. It is the expectation that those occupying our campuses and attending related activities adhere to the most current and relevant guidelines released by the college. Regular communications regarding the status and expectations will continue throughout the pandemic. Environmental Health and Safety will provide procedures for monitoring and ensuring adherence as outlined by this regulation. This includes maintaining a notification process to provide for “close contact” exposure of employees and affected employees – those who work in the same facility or the same well-defined portion of the facility.

Ventilation
To protect building occupants, MHCC will optimize the amount of outside air circulated through its existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system(s), to the extent the system(s) can do so when operating as designed and maintaining healthy indoor temperatures, whenever there are employees in the workplace, and the outdoor air quality index remains at either “good” or “moderate” levels.

MHCC’s existing HVAC systems will be maintained properly according to ASHRAE and industry standards, with an attestation that we are operating the system in accordance with the OSHA rule, to the best of our knowledge.

Quarterly MHCC will ensure the following:

• All air filters are maintained and replaced as necessary to ensure the proper function of the ventilation system.
• All intake ports that provide outside air to the HVAC system are cleaned, maintained, and cleared of any debris that may affect the function and performance of the ventilation system.

Travel
Employees traveling to other states or countries, including returning Oregon residents, should practice self-quarantine as recomnded by the CDC and local authorities and as applies. These persons should limit their interactions to their immediate household. This recommendation does not apply to individuals who cross state or country borders for essential travel. Quarantine recommendations do not apply to individuals traveling to other states or countries or employees returning from other states or countries if:

• The individual is considered fully vaccinated by CDC guidance, AND
• It has been at least 14 days since their final dose of COVID-19 vaccine, AND
• They have no COVID-19 symptoms.

Non-essential travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature.
Essential travel includes work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services, and supply chains, health, immediate medical care, and safety and security.

Employees are encouraged to stay home or in their region and avoid non-essential travel to other states or countries.

Vehicle Use
When MHCC personnel are transported in a vehicle for work purposes, regardless of the travel distance or duration involved, we strongly encourage not sharing work vehicles and to arrange for alternative means for personnel to travel to sites.  If shared transportation is necessary, employees must ensure the following measures are taken:

1. When more than one person is in a vehicle, all occupants in the vehicle must wear a mask, face-covering, or face shield.
2. Outside air must be increased (for example, by opening windows when weather conditions permit, by not recirculating cabin air, etc.); and
3. The separation of individuals in the vehicle must be maximized to the degree possible (for example, by the use of occupancy limits, by seating occupants in alternate seats, etc.).

Duration of Policy
This policy is active immediately as a temporary measure and will be re-assessed periodically as conditions and requirements change. This policy will sunset on June 30, 2022, unless otherwise impacted by guidelines set forth by Oregon OSHA, the CDC, and local health authorities and is subject to change based on the new or revised guidance.

Please direct any questions regarding the policy and the use, care of face coverings to your immediate supervisor or the Risk/EHS Department at ehs_notify@mhcc.edu or Riskmanagement@mhcc.edu.

Americans with Disabilities Act
MHCC is committed to inclusive and accessible learning and work environments in compliance with federal and state law. If you have a disability or think you may have a disability (mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or health impacts) please contact the Accessible Education Services (AES) office at (503) 491-6923 or aes@mhcc.edu or Human Resources office at 503-491-7200 orbenefits@mhcc.eduto have a confidential conversation about accommodations. In addition, individuals with questions regarding ADA accessibility to college public events, please contact (503) 491-6923 or aes@mhcc.edu.

Rev. 12.30.2021