All faculty, staff, students and visitors are required to wear face coverings on campus anytime a person will be in contact with other people in public or private spaces where it is not possible to maintain proper social distancing. All faculty, staff, and students, are required to wear face coverings while inside any Guilford College building regardless of social distancing. Exceptions are a personal office space and, for students, a residence hall room. A personal office for the purposes of this policy is a single office space that is able to close a single person inside of the office. If a community member does choose to work in their personal office space without a face covering, they will be required to work with their door closed. Shared office spaces are not exempt from this policy.
Exceptions are a personal office space and, for students, a residence hall room. A personal office for the purposes of this policy is a single office space with a door. If an employee does choose to work in their personal office space without a face covering, they will be required to work with their door closed.
Shared office spaces are not exempt from this policy.
While the College will purchase and provide a limited supply of one-time use (disposable) masks, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring and wear their own masks or face coverings to campus.
The following are considered to be acceptable face coverings:
Cloth Face Coverings
Description: Homemade or commercially manufactured face coverings that are washable and help contain wearer’s respiratory emissions.
Intended Use: Required for campus community where 6 feet of social distancing cannot be consistently maintained. It is advised that these face coverings be laundered on a daily basis.
Acceptable, reusable face covering options may include:
- Cloth face masks
- Bandanas
- Neck gaiters
- Homemade face coverings
- Scarves
- Tightly woven fabric such as cotton t-shirts and certain types of towels
- Face shields
Disposable Masks
Descriptions: Commercially manufactured masks that help contain wearer’s respiratory emissions.
Intended Use: Required for campus community use where 6 feet of social distancing cannot be consistently maintained. Must be worn only once and replaced daily.
These recommendations are in accordance with guidance from the CDC. Since a significant portion of individuals testing positive for the coronavirus are asymptomatic, cloth face coverings provide an extra layer to help prevent the respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and reduce risk of transmission.
Please take note of the following guidelines to properly put on and remove a face covering.
To put on a face covering:
- Wash your hands before putting on your face covering.
- Put it over your nose and mouth and secure under your chin.
- Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face.
- Make sure you can breathe easily.
To properly remove your face covering:
- Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops.
- Handle only by the ear loops or ties.
- Fold outside corners together.
- Place covering in the washing machine, or dispose.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
For those employees who are unable to wear a face covering for medical reasons, please contact the Office of Human Resources at hr@guilford.edu to request options for accommodations. For questions regarding this policy, please contact Public Safety at publicsafety@guilford.edu.