Coronavirus ECC FAQ & Resources

The health and safety of our college community are of utmost concern. As such, the College has postponed all ECC-sponsored out of state travel effective March 16, 2020, until April 30, 2020. We will continue to evaluate ongoing travel requests and will make updates as necessary. There are no restrictions on in-state travel at this time.

Employees and students should follow the recommendations and guidelines of the U.S. Department of State. Be aware that if you plan to travel to a country under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Level 3 Travel Advisory, you should self-isolate for 14 days for your benefit and the health and safety of the college community. Additionally, if you plan to travel to other areas, including domestically, and experience flu-like symptoms upon your return, you must contact a medical provider and receive clearance before coming to campus.

Study abroad programs scheduled to occur in a location with a U.S. State Department Level 4 or a CDC Warning Level 3 travel advisory have been postponed for Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. Elgin Community College will not support, finance, or award credit for any travel to regions or countries designated by the U.S. State Department as a Level 4 country or a CDC Warning Level. Students, staff, or faculty abroad in a region or country when such a travel advisory is issued will be required to return to the U.S. at the next earliest available opportunity or move to a different international location, if applicable, and reasonably available. The College will work with any affected students to ensure academic continuity on study abroad programs that may be impacted in the near future (e.g., different class modality, relocating to a different international program, leaving the program early, etc.). The College is communicating directly with all students and personnel affected by this decision.

Update: Study abroad programs scheduled to travel to Italy this summer has been postponed.  All other European or study abroad experiences to countries with a CDC Level 3 Travel Health Notice have been canceled at this time.

Contact BusinessServices@elgin.edu with any questions or concerns regarding travel.

Call your healthcare professional if you feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with the ongoing spread of COVID-19. Your healthcare professional will work with your state's public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19. Employees, see "Work Policy" section.

The CDC has a travel FAQ page with a link to countries with travel restrictions.

All ECC locations are closed on Friday, March 20, and will remain closed until the end of spring break, Sunday, March 29. During this time, employees and students will not come to campus, except for employees providing critical functions. Supervisors will notify these employees. Employees will, however, be permitted to work remotely during this time, as determined by their supervisors and based on the needs of the College.

Employees should report this travel in accordance with Administrative Procedure 3.601.

Employees will use sick leave or other leave time for pay continuation while off work during self-isolation.

The College has the ability to ask for a doctor's note prior to returning to work. If you are required to provide a doctor's note, this note should be given to the Benefits department in HR.

Although ECC does not have a work from home policy, it has been the practice that work from home opportunities are department and job-specific. You should make that request through your manager, and your manager should notify HR of these work from home schedules. As a reminder, a work from home arrangement should be beneficial to ECC.

Please feel free to contact Anthony Ray, Chief Human Resources Officer, at 224-242-6663 or staffliaison@elgin.edu.

All ECC locations will be closed Friday, March 20 and will remain closed through the end of spring break (Monday, March 20-Sunday, March 29). This timeframe may shift and is subject to change depending on the circumstances and needs of the College and our students.

The college is planning to reopen on Monday, March 30, unless otherwise instructed. Details regarding classes are forthcoming. All employees will return to campus and resume their regular work schedules. Per protocol, any school closings will be communicated to students, faculty, and staff via the RAVE mass notification system. Public health messages for the ECC community are posted to the College's website on the Emergency Management page.

Although there are no confirmed cases at ECC at this time, we are taking steps to decrease the concentration of students and employees on campus. As a result of Governor Pritzker's announcement to close all K-12 schools in Illinois through the end of March, the College has amended its plan for the overall health and safety of the entire ECC community.

To limit exposure of COVID-19 through social distancing, ECC is limiting large gatherings to events of 50 people or less until the end of April.

ECC utilizes an Infectious and Communicable Disease Administrative Procedure as well as the Emergency Operations Plan to address any communicable disease outbreak or another emergency. We work in conjunction with the various county health departments and the Illinois Department of Public Health when determining what steps are necessary to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Although there are no confirmed cases at ECC at this time, we are taking steps to decrease the concentration of students and employees on campus. All ECC locations are closed on Friday, March 20, and will remain closed until the end of spring break, Sunday, March 29. Any changes to these school closings will be communicated to students, faculty, and staff via the RAVE mass notification system. Public health messages for the ECC community are posted to the College's website on the Emergency Management page.

ECC is updating its Business and Academic Continuity Plan as the situation evolves and will speak to decisions to change the schedule of the class. We are committed to ensuring all students can complete the semester and will provide guidance on how any missed classes will be addressed.

Preserving academic integrity is important. Therefore, courses that are moving to an alternative delivery format will no longer be held on campus when it reopens, unless otherwise instructed. We anticipate that the classes will continue to be held remotely through the end of the spring semester.

By moving the majority of our classes to an alternative delivery format, we will reduce the number of individuals meeting on campus while ensuring continuity of instruction. This timeframe may shift and is subject to change depending on the circumstances and needs of the College and our students. We want to remind you that this is a fluid situation that continues to evolve each day.

The goal is to maintain the student's enrolled status and complete the course objectives by the end of the semester; therefore, students would not receive a refund if days were canceled, and the course can still be completed. We will also continue our current practice of evaluating each circumstance on a case-by-case basis.

If the semester is able to be completed and a student chooses to drop their course for medical or family health issues, the student should complete the Tuition Adjustment Advisory Council (TAAC) form to appeal for a refund. For any other reason, the Dean of Students Complaint Form - PDF should be completed to appeal for a refund.

Students can contact the Office of the Assistant Vice-President of Student Services and Development / Dean of Students at deanofstudents@elgin.edu for information regarding classes and absences. Students can also refer to the College's Emergency Management web page for updates from the College on COVID-19.

The College has made available hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and tissues in classrooms and throughout campus. Additional hand sanitizer stations were ordered and will be stationed around the College in high traffic areas, such as main entrances and corridors, as soon as they are delivered to campus. Contact Cal Byrd at Cbyrd@elgin.edu if you notice locations on campus where additional supplies are needed.

Our custodial staff clean and sanitize the College on a regular and consistent schedule that meets the standards of the health department and complies with state and county regulations. The College uses a variety of products for cleaning and sanitizing. We adjust our products and procedures to adhere to the latest recommendations provided by industry standards, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and local county health departments.

Update: Our custodial staff will conduct a deep cleaning of campus bathrooms, surfaces, floors, and other areas during spring break, in addition to maintaining CDC-recommended cleaning protocols on a daily basis. Thank you to our custodians for their dedication and commitment to ECC at this time.

Our cleaning schedule has remained consistent with the guidance provided by the CDC regarding sanitization processes, which state:

"At this time, no special sanitizing processes beyond routine cleaning are necessary or recommended to slow the spread of respiratory illness. Schools should follow standard processes for routine cleaning and disinfecting with an EPA registered product. General infection control guidance is available at www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend practicing preventive measures:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

For more information on preventing the spread, see Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities.

The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wearing a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. A facemask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected.