For those who test positive for COVID-19, a minimum five-day isolation is required per CDC guidelines. If you test positive, learn more about notifying your close contacts.
How Isolation Works
- If you have tested positive for COVID, stay home and isolate for 5-10 days to prevent spreading infection to other individuals. You should isolate away from any individual who has not also tested positive for COVID, including other household members.
- DO NOT attend any in-person activities such as classes, work, athletic events, or other activities.
- If your positive test is a rapid antigen home test, we encourage you to seek a confirmatory PCR test. You can access on or off campus testing, please review on campus testing options for up-to-date information.
- Students: If you’d like health services to document your COVID infection in your medical records, upload your positive test result to your confidential health portal
- If your positive test is an antigen home test, please take a photo of your result that includes a photo ID and digital date (screenshot or date on computer in background). Send a provider a message in your portal and attach the image to the message.
- Students may also upload your positive COVID results for additional guidance and support from health services.
- Residential students are required to notify health services so that we can review your isolation plan and location, 978-542-3240.
- Employees: Notify HR of any positive COVID test by faxing your results to 978-542-2605 or sending an encrypted email to Ezekiel Holt and Andrea Claudio. For instructions on how to submit an encrypted email, please visit Polaris.
- If you have underlying medical conditions or are interested in learning about antiviral medication treatment for COVID:
- Students can schedule a telemedicine appointment with one of our health services medical providers on their health portal, review Massachusetts resources, or reach out to their healthcare provider.
- Employees can review Massachusetts resources or reach out to their healthcare provider.
Discontinuing Isolation
- Complete a rapid home antigen test on day 5 or 6 after testing positive, if you are without symptoms or your symptoms have significantly improved. Review rapid testing guidance.
- If your rapid antigen COVID test is negative and your symptoms have improved, you can leave isolation and return to campus on Day 6. You should continue to mask for a full 10 days.
- If your rapid antigen COVID test is still positive, or you are not feeling better, you should continue to isolate for a full 10 days, with your earliest day out on Day 11.
- If your symptoms improve and you have a negative antigen test before day 11, you may discontinue isolation sooner.
- All who have tested positive should wear a KN95 mask while indoors or in close contact with other individuals. Review CDC mask guidance and isolation here.
Use the CHS Student Return from Isolation Survey or the HR Employee Return from Isolation Survey to see next steps.
Contact the COVID Team
If at any time you have questions related to your isolation period, exposures, or other contact tracing matters, call our COVID-19 team at 978.542.3240 or send us a message in your health portal.