Response to Cases

If you Test Positive for COVID

• Contact COVID-19 case manager at wellness@hood.edu, provide the following information and isolate in place while you wait for further instructions.
  • What day did you test positive? Provide a photo, or copy of the test result if available.  
  • What symptoms are present, if any?
  • If symptoms are present, what day did they begin?
• Report your positive test results either through the mobile app associated with an at-home test, or through the Maryland COVID Positive At-Home Test Report Portal. 
• Contact your health provider for further instruction. For emergency warning signs, immediately call 9-1-1. COVID-19-related emergency warning signs include, but are not limited to: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, and bluish lips or face.
• Recognizing the gravity of this public health crisis and global pandemic, we must all do our part when following quarantine or isolation protocol. If a student or employee is required to isolate or quarantine and does not adhere to the Health and Safety standards, they are subject to sanctions per the Student Code of Conduct, the Staff Manual or the Faculty Code.

Quarantine/Isolation for Students

The College will follow CDC guidance on who should isolate/quarantine. Students who have been directed to quarantine or isolate are required to make arrangements to do so off-campus. Students should begin the semester with a plan for how and where they will isolate in the event of a positive test result.

If a residential student is unable to travel home for isolation (due to the need for train or plane travel), they must seek approval by emailing wellness@hood.edu to isolate in place. Isolation-in-place is for individual students who have tested positive and need to isolate in their own room. This change in protocol will allow the College to prioritize very limited isolation housing for residential students most in need, such as those with medical conditions that place them at higher risk from COVID; or those who are experiencing more serious presentations of COVID. All students isolating in place must stay in their designated rooms and away from other people as best they can until the CDC’s criteria of when it is safe to be around others are met and their medical provider and the director of wellness clears them. The only exceptions are to access medical care, to use the shared residence hall bathrooms (residential students only) and to pick up meals from Dining Services (residential students only). Students who are isolating-in-place, may need to continue to share space with a roommate, suitemates etc. To reduce exposure to others, the COVID-positive individual must wear a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask at all times and disinfect frequently touched or shared surfaces. They must not go to class (including internships) or work.

• Isolation in Place Guidelines

If a student is required to isolate or quarantine and does not adhere to the health and safety standards, the student is subject to immediate removal from campus housing (if a residential student) and/or may be suspended or dismissed from the College.