COVID-19 Rumor Control
COVID-19 Rumor Control
If I have to quarantine for 14 days, do I have to use vacation days or personal leave?
No. You do not need to use accrued time and will be paid normally for the 14-day period.
If I get coronavirus, do I have to use my sick or other accrued time if I am out?
For any illness that keeps employees out of work, using sick and other accrued time during time away from campus is normal. However, our primary message to employees and students has been that if you are sick with an illness of any sort, please stay home to rest and recover.
The message that went to employees last week was to assure them that union contracts contain certain provisions giving them that ability, without worrying about job security if they need to remain out of work for extended periods due to illness or other circumstances.
UConn has the discretion to allow additional leave time beyond what is set out in union contracts, and in keeping with the university's bylaws.
In addition, during unusual or extraordinary circumstances such as a pandemic, UConn would of course use maximum flexibility to help ensure the health of our employees and community.
We are encouraging all of our employees to reach out to human resources directly if they have questions about the provisions in their union contract or university bylaws.
I've heard students who are coming back from study abroad programs have been seen on or around campus. What is UConn doing about that?
Other universities are fielding similar rumors as well. First, it is important to note that the self-quarantines are voluntary; UConn does not have the authority to order a person to quarantine themselves.
No one is being allowed to self-quarantine on campus, and university officials are tracking individual students' self-monitoring timelines to ensure they are not provided housing assignments before the 14-day minimum has expired.
Please keep in mind that our Education Abroad students have been returning at various times and from various locations, and the circumstances differ from one person to the next.
I have heard that there are already confirmed cases of COVID-19 with UConn students on the Storrs campus.
As of this time, the University is not aware of any confirmed cases at Storrs, the regional campuses or at UConn Health.