If you are experiencing symptoms of, or have tested positive for, COVID-19, please stay home and complete the Provincial Screening Tool. While there is no longer a minimum 5-day self-isolation period, there are still self-isolation guidelines to be followed. The current direction provided by the Provincial Government for self-isolation is as follows:

Stay home while you are sick to prevent transmission to others, except for testing or medical care if required.

You should not go into public spaces unless it is for a critical reason (like going to a testing location, clinical assessment centre or for a medical emergency). Wear a well-fitted mask if you must leave home for these reasons. These are general guidelines.

 You should stay home (self-isolate) until:

• your symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if you had nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea); and
• you do not have a fever; and
• you do not develop any additional symptoms

Get more tips on how to safely self-isolate

After you are done self-isolating – for 10 days after your symptoms started:

• wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including school and child care)
• avoid non-essential activities where you need to take off your mask (for example, dining out)
• avoid visiting anyone who is immunocompromised or may be at higher risk of illness (for example, seniors)
• avoid non-essential visits to highest risk settings such as hospitals and long-term care homes

For those with negative COVID-19 test results, these additional precautions can be an added layer of prevention against the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses circulating in the community.

If employees test positive for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test or a PCR test and have attended a McMaster location in the past 14 days, please complete the COVID-19 Positive Case Reporting Tool in Mosaic.  Students are no longer required to report cases, but learners in health professional programs should check with their program offices for instructions on reporting to placement locations.

Note: Hospitals falls into the category of “highest risk setting” and therefore continue to require the full 10 days of isolation from the date of positive or date of symptom onset, whichever is first. Employees working in these settings should ensure they read the full information provided by the Ontario COVID-19 self-assessment and follow the specific isolation directions for “highest risk settings”.

McMaster host hospital and health partners will continue to have their own COVID policies and protocols and these need to be followed by faculty, staff and learners who attend these locations.

More information is available at the Reporting & Isolation Health and Safety website.

1. Advise the individual that if they are experiencing symptoms of, or have tested positive for, COVID-19, they should stay home and complete the Provincial Screening Tool.  While there is no longer a minimum 5-day self-isolation period, there are still self-isolation guidelines to be followed.

2. Advise the individual to follow all recommendations and instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider.

3. Enable and support remote work for the individual if possible and if they are well enough. If remote work is not possible, or if they are not well enough to work, follow normal absence reporting protocols.

4. Complete the Mosaic COVID-19 Positive Case Reporting Tool only if they have received a positive result on a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test and they have been on a McMaster University site within the past 14 days.

5. Note: A negative COVID-19 test or clearance from McMaster’s Occupational Health Nurse is not required to return to in-person work.

1. Advise the individual to follow all recommendations and instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider.

2. If self-isolation is required:

• • Enable and support remote work for the individual, if possible and if they are well enough. If remote work is not possible or if they are not well enough to work, follow normal absence reporting protocols.

• • Advise the individual to follow the isolation instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider to determine when they are clear to return to on-site work.

3. If the individual has symptoms only and has not received a positive COVID 19 test (either PCR or Rapid antigen test) – they do not need to report via the COVID-19 positive case reporting tool in MOSAIC.

1. Advise the individual to complete and follow all recommendations and instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider.

2. Continue to support remote work for the individual if possible and if they are well enough. If they are not well enough to work, follow normal absence reporting protocols.

3. Complete the Mosaic COVID-19 Positive Case Reporting Tool only if they have received a positive result on a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test and they have been on a McMaster University site within the past 14 days.

1. Advise the individual to complete and follow all recommendations and instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider.
   • Note: Self-isolation may or may not be required depending on individual circumstances. The individual should refer to the Ontario COVID-19 self-assessment for directions.

2. If self-isolation is required:

• • Enable and support remote work for the individual, if possible and if they are well enough. If remote work is not possible or if they are not well enough to work, follow normal absence reporting protocols.

• • Advise the individual to complete the isolation instructions provided by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool or Public Health, or those of their health care provider, in order to determine when they are clear to return to on-site work.

3. If the faculty or staff member themselves has not tested positive (either PCR or Rapid antigen test) – they do not need to report via the COVID-19 positive case reporting tool in MOSAIC.

After having been instructed to self-isolate or having received a positive COVID-19 test (PCR or Rapid Antigen), all of the following criteria must be met before an individual may return to work in-person on a McMaster site:

• Must complete the self-isolation period as recommended by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment or Public Health; and
• Must have no fever (without the use of fever reducing medications); and
• COVID-19 symptoms (if any) must have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea), or resolved completely.

After self-isolation has been completed – for 10 days from when symptoms have started:

• wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including anywhere indoors and outdoors on campus)
• avoid non-essential activities where you need to take off your mask (for example, dining with others)
• avoid visiting anyone who is immunocompromised or may be at higher risk of illness (for example, seniors)
• avoid non-essential visits to highest risk settings such as hospitals and long-term care homes

Note: A negative COVID-19 test or clearance from McMaster’s Occupational Health Nurse is not required to return to in-person work.

If you have questions, contact McMaster’s Occupational Health Nurse (OHN) via email at occhealthnurse@mcmaster.ca  

Please be prepared that it is possible an employee may have residual symptoms when they return to work.

Privately discuss your concern with the employee and ask them to confirm that they meet the following criteria for returning to in-person work:

• Must complete the self-isolation period as recommended by the Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment or Public Health; and
• Must have no fever (without the use of fever reducing medications); and
• COVID-19 symptoms (if any) must have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea), or resolved completely.

After self-isolation has been completed – for 10 days from when symptoms have started you must:

• wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including anywhere indoors and outdoors on campus) for 10 days after symptoms start
• avoid non-essential activities when the mask must be removed (for example, dining with others); and
• avoid visiting anyone who is immunocompromised or may be at higher risk of illness (for example, seniors); and
• avoid non-essential visits to highest risk settings such as hospitals and long-term care homes.

Note: A negative COVID-19 test or clearance from McMaster’s Occupational Health Nurse is not required to return to in-person work.

Keep disclosures confidential and be diligent about the protection of personal health information. Whether or not there is a confirmed case, faculty, staff and students should always be vigilant and continue to self-monitor for symptoms using the using the Ontario COVID19 self-assessment tool.

Confirmed positive COVID-19 cases (i.e. those that confirmed by a positive test result on either a PCR or Rapid Antigen test) for faculty and staff are reported through the Mosaic reporting tool if the individual has been on a McMaster site within the previous 14 days.