For more information, visit the CDC's website "How to Protect Yourself and Others from COVID-19" and “Preventing Spread when you are Sick.”

So, What Does This Mean For the Campus Community?

Guidance for Students

• If you contract COVID-19, do not come to campus.
• If you suspect your illness is COVID-19, please take a COVID test to confirm your results.
• Notify your instructors and see if they can work with you on any missed assignments.
• Once you test negative, you may return to class.
• For various types of tests, visit the "COVID-19 Testing: What You Need to Know" section and scroll down to "Types of Tests."
• If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, in general, if you know you were exposed through close contact and are not experiencing symptoms:
  • You may come to class. Please wear a well-fitted mask as soon as you find out you were exposed. 
  • Start counting from Day 1 (Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure [Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19]).
  • CONTINUE PRECAUTIONS for 5 Full Days.
• If you live with a person who has COVID-19 and are unable to avoid frequent close contact, wear a mask.
• For additional guidance, please contact Student Health Services at (212) 650 - 8222 or shs@ccny.cuny.edu .

Guidance for Faculty and Staff

• If you contract COVID-19, do not come to campus.
• If you suspect your illness is COVID-19, please take a COVID test to confirm your results.
• Once you test negative, you may return to class.
• For various types of tests, visit the "COVID-19 Testing: What You Need to Know" section and scroll down to "Types of Tests."
• If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, in general, if you know you were exposed through close contact and are not experiencing symptoms:
  • You may come to class (campus). Please wear a well-fitted mask as soon as you find out you were exposed. 
  • Start counting from Day 1 (Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure [Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19]).
  • CONTINUE PRECAUTIONS for 5 Full Days.
• If you live with a person who has COVID-19 and are unable to avoid frequent close contact, wear a mask.
• If you contract COVID-19, you may qualify for NYS State Paid COVID leave. The College only accepts tests provided by a licensed medical provider should you decide to apply for this benefit.
• For questions regarding the NYS State COVID leave eligibility, please contact Javier Murcia at jmurcia@ccny.cuny.edu or P: 212-650-5194.
• For further questions regarding COVID-19 guidance, please contact Andrea Yarde at ayarde@ccny.cuny.edu or P: 212-650-7226.
• For questions regarding COVID-19-time entry, please email Time and Leave at: timeandleave@ccny.cuny.edu or P: 212-650-7226. 

Specifically for Faculty

• If you contract COVID-19, notify your chairperson or dean.
• Stay home until you test negative or receive medical clearance from your doctor.
• If you are well enough to teach and your class can be moved online while sick, consider doing that. If you are too sick to teach, inform your chairperson and record your leave in accordance with HR policies.
• Let your students know of the changes to the class or, if needed, ask your chairperson to do so.
• There is no requirement to inform your class if someone in the class contacts you and informs you they attended class and are now testing positive. If you want to inform the class, please make sure you do not mention the student's name.

Specifically for Staff

• If you contract COVID-19, contact your supervisor; stay home until you test negative or receive medical clearance from your doctor.
• If you are well enough to work from home and your department allows working remotely, work with your supervisor.
• If you are too sick or cannot do your job from home, report your leave in accordance with HR policies.

For more information, visit the CDC's website "What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19" or "If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone" for the details of this guidance.

So what does this mean for us?

Students

• If you contract COVID-19, do not come to campus. Follow the CDC guidelines regarding "If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone."
• Notify your instructors and see if they can work with you on any missed assignments.
• Once you test negative, you may return to class.
• For various types of tests, visit the "COVID-19 Testing: What You Need to Know" section and scroll down to "Types of Tests."
• If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the CDC guidelines on "What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19."
• In general, if you know you were exposed through close contact and are not experiencing symptoms, you may come to class, but please wear a well-fitted mask. Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed (CONTINUE PRECAUTIONS 10 Full Days). Start counting from Day 1 (Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure [Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19]).
• If you live with a person who has COVID-19 and are unable to avoid frequent close contact, wear a mask and stay home until the sick person is well and you are showing no symptoms.
• Notify your instructor.

Faculty

• If you contract COVID-19, do not come to campus. Follow the CDC guidelines regarding "If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone."
• Notify your chairperson or dean.
• Stay home until you test negative or receive medical clearance from your doctor.
• For various types of tests, visit the "COVID-19 Testing: What You Need to Know" section and scroll down to "Types of Tests."
• If you are well enough to teach and your class can be moved online while sick, consider doing that. If you are too sick to teach, inform your chairperson and record your leave in accordance with HR policies. Additionally, you may qualify for the NYS COVID Leave Benefit.
• Let your students know of the changes to the class (or, if needed, ask your chairperson to do so).
• If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the CDC guidelines on "What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19."
• In general, if you know you were exposed through close contact and are not experiencing symptoms, you may come to class, but please wear a well-fitted mask. Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed (CONTINUE PRECAUTIONS 10 Full Days). Start counting from Day 1 (Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure [Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19]).
• If you live with a person who has COVID-19 and are unable to avoid frequent close contact, wear a mask. It is recommended that you stay home until the sick person is well and you are showing no symptoms.
• There is no requirement to inform your class if someone in the class contacts you and informs you they attended class and are now testing positive. If you want to inform the class, please make sure you do not mention the student's name.

Staff

• If you contract COVID-19, do not come to campus. Follow the CDC guidelines regarding "If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone."
• Contact your supervisor; stay home until you test negative or receive medical clearance from your doctor.
• For various types of tests, visit the "COVID-19 Testing: What You Need to Know" section and scroll down to "Types of Tests."
• If you are well enough to work from home and your job allows working remotely, work with your supervisor. If you are too sick or cannot do your job from home, report your leave in accordance with HR policies. Additionally, you may qualify for NY COVID Leave Benefit.
• If you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the CDC guidelines on "What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19."
• In general, if you know you were exposed through close contact and are not experiencing symptoms, you may come to class, but please wear a well-fitted mask. Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed (CONTINUE PRECAUTIONS 10 Full Days). Start counting from Day 1 (Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure [Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19]).
• If you live with a person who has COVID-19 and are unable to avoid frequent close contact, wear a mask. It is recommended that you stay home until the sick person is well and showing no symptoms.
• Notify your supervisor.

As cold and flu season is upon us, it can be difficult to know whether you are experiencing flu symptoms or COVID symptoms.  In order to help you with this determination, I want to bring your attention to the US Government’s recent announcement of mail-order COVID tests.  Starting September 25th, you can now request free test kits by going to COVID.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests.  

Please remember that if you are sick, please stay home to reduce the spread of your illness.  As I stated in my last COVID communication, CUNY and CCNY now follow CDC guidelines for COVID exposure and infection.  To familiarize yourself with these CDC guidelines, please visit What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19 | CDC and If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone | CDC.

Stay well,

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Information Technology
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

This is just a reminder that while COVID is no longer considered a pandemic, it is still very much active and can still have serious ramifications for your health and well-being. If you test positive for COVID, please stay home. If you feel well enough to work remotely during your illness, check with your supervisor about working from home. If you are a student, please let your professors know and see if they will work with you to provide you with any missed assignments and/or lecture materials.

For those of you who have been exposed to COVID through close contact, I recommend that you follow CDC guidelines for exposure. These guidelines can be found here - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html.

Thank you,

Ken Ihrer, CCNY COVID Coordinator

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Information Technology
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

Starting on May 24^th, 2023, we will no longer use the Cleared4 pass to gain entrance to our buildings. On that date and going forward, you will only need your College ID to enter. Please note that your Cleared4 will no longer work starting on the 24^th. There is no reason to contact us as this is what you should expect.  If you have the link saved to your phone, it will be safe to remove it on the morning of May 24^th.

Sincerely,
Ken Ihrer

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Information Technology
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

** You will find a corresponding/additional memo from CUNY regarding "Turning the Corner of COVID-19" (April 17, 2023), HERE.

I hope you had a restful spring recess. I'm happy to welcome you back with news of a major milestone in CUNY's three-year battle against COVID-19. In the wake of significant improvements in New York City and State and across the nation, we are ending the emergency vaccination mandate for students, faculty and staff. The change will be effective on the last day of the Spring semester and will allow students to enroll in classes, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, starting with Summer sessions.

Our decision to lift the vaccine mandate is consistent with the federal government's plan to end the national Public Health Emergency next month. It comes after close consultation with State and City health officials, and amid increased rates of vaccination and sustained low COVID-19 levels on CUNY campuses and throughout the city. Our testing program reports a positivity rate of 0.8% for the week ending April 9, mirroring the city and state's declining rates of infection. 

To be sure, it's important to recognize that the pandemic is not over; we continue to encourage and urge all students, faculty and staff to stay up to date with vaccinations. We will also continue to consult with public health experts, closely monitor data and adhere to pertinent federal, state and city guidance should policies need to be modified moving forward.

The mandate will end on May 23 for the 22 CUNY colleges whose spring semesters end that day, and for all Central Office employees. For Kingsborough, LaGuardia and Guttman community colleges, whose semesters operate on a different calendar, the mandate will end on June 16, the last day of their current term.

By the end of June, we will also be ending our COVID-19 testing program, closing our campus and Central Office test sites and eliminating the use of the Cleared4 health verification platform, allowing colleges to go back to their standard processes for granting campus access. 

Gratitude 

I want to thank all members of the CUNY community for their cooperation and compliance with the vaccination mandate since it went into effect in Fall 2021. We can all take pride that we are able to reach this milestone in great part because of our high levels of vaccination.  

I also thank the many members of our community who have made important contributions to our University's response to the pandemic throughout these challenging years. I want to especially recognize the leadership of our School of Public Health and Health Policy; the Campus Coronavirus Liaisons and Campus Location Vaccine Authority (LVAs) who ensured that state and local health guidance as well as CUNY policy were followed throughout the university; the Office of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management, which oversaw operations for our testing sites, and our essential staff – public safety officers, custodians, facilities staff and others – who worked in person through it all to manage access to our facilities and keep us safe. 

From the initial onset of COVID-19, in March 2020, our University community has risen to overcome unprecedented challenges to every aspect of life during the pandemic in work, school and our homes. When the vaccines became available in December 2020, it was a two-time CUNY alumnus who made history as the first in the country to get the shot. In March 2021, we launched the #VaxUpCUNY campaign and worked with our government partners to host vaccination sites that put over half a million shots in New Yorkers' arms. Faculty, meanwhile, conducted COVID-focused research and developed COVID-related courses. Nursing and med students joined the frontlines, and students rallied to help despite personal losses. Our community suffered devastating losses of life during the pandemic and we were the first university to launch an In Memoriam webpage to honor them. 

These indelible images and memories remain fresh enough for us to take stock of the great distance we've covered, working together to keep CUNY moving forward. We are hopeful that the positive trends will continue and that we are moving steadily toward a time when COVID-19 is no longer a serious health concern for anyone. We continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our community.  

Thank you again for doing your part to help CUNY persevere through the pandemic. Please stay healthy and have a successful last month of the academic year.

Sincerely,

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Chancellor

Each semester we receive guidance from CUNY on changes to the COVID-19 Safety Plan.  For Spring '23, there is only one area of change to our plan. 

Starting February 1st, 2023, visitors to CUNY campuses, including CCNY, are no longer required to show proof of vaccination, register with Cleared4 or show a negative COVID-19 test result.  Visitors may enter our campus by showing an official Identification Card and signing in with the security guard at the entrances to our buildings.  Our plan on the website has been updated to reflect this change and can be found at The City College of New York COVID-19 Safety Plan for Spring '23 | The City College of New York (cuny.edu) and at the specific link regarding visitors, located at Guest Access Rules and FAQ's | The City College of New York (cuny.edu)

Faculty, Staff and Students are still required to use Cleared4 and follow vaccination and testing procedures as described in our safety plan.

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

For everyone’s safety, visitors should not come to our campus if they believe they have recently been exposed to COVID-19, currently have COVID-19 or they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Thank you for your cooperation and if you have any questions, please contact our COVID Coordinator, Ken Ihrer, at kihrer@ccny.cuny.edu .

Similar to the guidance provided for the Spring 2022 semester, employees will be expected to work on campus 7 out of 10 days during a two-week work cycle.  For example, employees can be required to work in-person 4 days and 1 day remote in one week and in the following week 3 days in-person and 2 days remote.

As a reminder managers/department heads have the discretion, based on business needs, to require their employees to report to work in person at a higher rate than the minimum of 70% set
by the University

Supervisors and employees should continue to document hybrid work arrangements utilizing CUNY’s remote work form.  CUNY extended the use of the current remote work form until December 31, 2022.  More information about hybrid work can be found at CUNY Flexible Work Guidelines.

Employees can still request reasonable accommodations and, as feasible, general accommodation requests will be considered.

Also, with the advent of the Fall 2022 semester, please be reminded about the protocols related to the following:

• Quarantine
• Campus Access
• COVID PCR Testing at CUNY Sites
• Random COVID Testing
• Weekly COVID Testing
• COVID Vaccinations

Quarantine

An employee, visitor, etc., who had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID but is up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and booster (if eligible) or an employee, etc. who tested positive for COVID-19 within an applicable 90-day period does not need to quarantine provided that they are not exhibiting COVID/Flu like symptoms.  However, these employees, etc. will be required to wear a mask for 10 days after the date of their last close contact and get COVID tested at least 5 days after the date of their last close contact.

An employee, visitor, etc. who tests positive for COVID must quarantine from the campus and all CUNY sites for at least five (5) days.  On day six (6), the employee, etc. should take a COVID Antigen test.  If the COVID Antigen test is negative and the employee is not experiencing fever and/or other serious symptoms, then they may be cleared for campus access.  Seriously ill employees may be required to quarantine for at least 10 days and obtain medical clearance before campus access is granted.

Campus Access

Employees and visitors to the campus are required to utilize the Cleared4 CUNY Access Pass to gain entry to College Facilities.

All employees must be registered with CUNY’s Cleared4 system.  Once registered, employees can access or print their CUNY Access Pass by entering their personalized link into any web browser and selecting “Show Access Pass”.  Employees can also display their CUNY Access Pass on their mobile phone or other smart device.

Employees who require assistance with registering for the Cleared4 CUNY Access Pass are asked to email their inquiries to  covidtesting@ccny.cuny.edu .

COVID PCR Testing at CUNY Sites

Free COVID PCR testing is still available to employees at any of CUNY’s testing centers.  For your convenience, the location and hours of the City College test site are provided below:

City College’s COVID-19 testing site is in the Faculty Dining Room located in the North Academic Center (NAC) Building.  The entrance is on 138th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

The current hours of operation for CCNY’s testing site are as follows:

• Monday                 2pm-5pm
• Tuesday                2pm-5pm
• Wednesday           9am-12pm
• Thursday               9am-12pm
• Friday                    Closed
• Saturday                Closed

Random COVID Testing

The random COVID testing program (see here)  will continue and all employees are required to participate.  If you are selected for a random COVID testing, you will receive an email from no-reply@cleared4work.com with instructions on how to proceed.  Random testing applies to all employees – vaccinated or unvaccinated.

Weekly COVID Testing

Employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination in CUNYfirst are required to participate in CUNY’s Weekly COVID Testing Program at one of CUNY’s designated testing sites.

Employees subject to weekly testing are required to register with CUNY’s testing vendor, ADCL (Applied DNA Clinical Labs);

Employees who have questions or need help registering for weekly testing are advised to contact ADCL’s support desk- https://adclops.freshdesk.com/support/home or send an email to  covidtesting@ccny.cuny.edu .

Test results from CUNY’s testing sites are sent directly to the employee’s email address within 24 hours to 48 hours.

Test results will not be accepted from a non-CUNY testing site.

Employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be subject to the College’s contact tracing protocol.

COVID Vaccinations

Effective April 1, 2022, all full and part-time faculty, non-teaching instructional staff (which includes, among others, Non-Teaching Adjuncts, College Lab Technicians and those in the HEO series) and ECPs are required to be fully vaccinated.  Employees in these titles are required to have their proof of vaccination uploaded into CUNYfirst.

Exceptions to the vaccination mandate have only been made for employees who have a vaccination exemption or are employed in a title in which there is no current vaccination mandate.  In any of these cases, the non-vaccinated employee is required to participate in CUNY’s Weekly Testing Program.

Should you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at  humanresources@ccny.cuny.edu .

As you are probably aware, New York City’s Covid-19 level is currently high according to the NYC Department of Health’s Alert Level system and the CDC’s Community Level tracking.

Health officials recommend we wear a mask in indoor public settings and people over 65 and those at high risk of severe illness should also wear a mask in crowded outdoor spaces.

As the semester comes to a close and many of you prepare to attend commencements with your loved ones and friends, we urge you to wear a mask in public indoor spaces – for your safety and that of those around you.

A reminder that the best way to avoid serious illness from COVID-19 is to stay up to date with the vaccines and boosters. If you have symptoms or were exposed, get tested to ensure you're not spreading the virus. And if you test positive, talk to your doctor about treatment. You can find additional CUNY guidance here.

Wishing you a strong finish to the semester, good luck with final exams, and spirited congratulations to the tens of thousands of students who are graduating in the coming weeks. 

Best,  

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Ph.D. 
Chancellor

Outdoor Commencement Ceremonies

Unvaccinated individuals are required to wear a mask and vaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to wear masks.

Indoor Commencement Ceremonies

All attendees are required to wear a mask.

All graduating students participating in any commencement ceremonies must present a valid cleared4 pass and must be fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AT THIS IMPORTANT TIME – PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FFOR THE LATEST INFORMATION IN THE EVENT THAT CONDITIONS OR POLICIES CHANGE

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

I wanted to let you know about the updated schedule during Spring Break, as it relates to the safeCircle Covid-19 Testing Center at City College. The Testing Center will be closed from Friday, April 15 - 18 and will open back up on Tuesday, April 19 for the duration of Spring Break. If you are working during Spring Break and require testing to be on campus, please make sure you take into account the shortened testing schedule. 

Sincerely,

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

As many of you are aware, CUNY has lifted the temporary mask mandate for all campuses. What does this mean for us? It means that you can now go throughout campus, both indoors and outdoors, without wearing a mask if you so choose. Those who are unvaccinated are still encouraged to wear a mask.

I realize that for some of you, this is a concern and one that you are not comfortable with. For those of you who are concerned, the best way to make sure you have enhanced protection under these circumstances—apart from making sure your vaccination is up to date-- is to be committed to mask wearing, mindful of keeping social distance from others, and careful in congregate settings. For those looking for added protection, I highly recommend that you wear a KN95 or KF94 mask. We have KN95 masks available upon request at each of the guard stations. By wearing a well-fitting KN95/KF94 mask you can protect yourself from breathing in potential droplets of the virus in case you are in close proximity of an infectious person.

Please note that like the mask mandate itself, the removal of the mask mandate is a CUNY-wide policy, and individual colleges and areas within colleges cannot set their own mask guidelines. We do ask, however, that all members of our community be as sensitive as possible to one another’s concerns and personal preferences. I understand that some may be uncomfortable with this but our guidance comes from the CDC, local and State government. 

As always, if you are feeling sick, stay home and test. Our best defense is to make sure we do not come to campus if there is the possibility that we are infectious. 

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Ken Ihrer

Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

In response to revised guidance issued by the CDC last week, we are lifting the temporary mask mandate that has been in place since August 2021 and required all CUNY students, faculty, staff, and visitors to wear masks inside University campuses, office buildings, classrooms, and other non-enclosed spaces. This policy change, which takes effect on Monday, March 7, follows recent announcements by Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams that ended mask mandates for pre-K through 12th-grade schools across New York State and City. 

Anyone who would like to continue wearing masks in any setting is welcome to do so at any time. Masks will continue to be available on campus and in offices for people who want them. The CDC is not requiring people to wear a mask in communities that have low or medium COVID-19 levels like New York City's boroughs, but I urge the small number of faculty, staff, and students who are still not vaccinated, or those who have been or will be granted a medical exemption or religious exception, to wear a mask.

We are very hopeful for the coming weeks and months, but as we all know by now, the pandemic has taught us that public health conditions can change rapidly. CUNY will continue to monitor CDC guidelines and consult with our State and City health officials and should the evolving circumstances require a reconsideration of this or any policy, we will make the necessary changes to keep the CUNY community safe. I ask you to remain vigilant to ensure the safety of our campus communities. You can check our campus-by-campus positivity rates on our COVID-19 Safety Tracker, which has been posted on our website since September 2021. 

Masks After an Exposure

The University's quarantine guidance will remain unchanged. A reminder that if you are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot, or if you tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days, and you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 you do not need to quarantine and can return to work or class. But you need to wear a mask for 10 days from the date of your last close contact and get tested at least 5 days after the close contact. 

Vaccines and Boosters

The suspension of mandatory masking does not affect the student booster requirement for those enrolled in hybrid or fully in-person courses. Students must upload proof of their booster within 30 days of the date they first become eligible to receive the booster. A reminder that all full- and part-time faculty, non-teaching instructional staff, and ECPs are required to be fully vaccinated and their proof of vaccination uploaded into CUNYfirst by April 1. Requests for medical exemptions or religious exceptions will be considered and the employee process for submitting such requests will be communicated in the near future.

Testing and Random Testing

To monitor COVID-19 moving forward, CUNY's mandatory testing for anyone with medical exemptions or religious exceptions and the random testing program for vaccinated individuals will continue to operate without change. Free PCR testing continues to be available for students, faculty, and staff at CUNY testing sites and I encourage you to take advantage of this service for any reason you might need it.

Ventilation

The upgrade and maintenance of our campus ventilation systems have been a priority since the early stages of the pandemic. In the last two years, we have injected $150 million in capital funds into our HVAC systems, and we requested additional capital dollars in our current budget request to continue these upgrades.

Since the peak of the omicron surge, the rate of positivity detected on our campuses has drastically and steadily declined. I want to thank each of you for the diligence, cooperation, and care that have been so very critical to CUNY's safe progression through the stages of the pandemic. We've arrived at this point because of the effort that we all have put forth to protect one another as we looked out for ourselves and our loved ones.

Sincerely,

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Chancellor

The Cleared4 Health Check system is not operational this morning for most individuals.  Public Safety has been notified and will allow entry to your class or work area.  Please only enter the campus if you are vaccinated or have a valid negative COVID test.  As soon as the system is restored I will be updating you.

Sincerely,

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

As you may have heard, Governor Hochul lifted the mask mandate for New York State.  However, this change in policy does not impact CUNY as of this memo.  CUNY is still enforcing a mask mandate while in CUNY buildings.  Please make sure you are wearing your masks properly while on campus to protect yourself and others.

Please note that CCNY has purchased KN95 masks, which are available to you at the security guard stations.  If you need a mask or want a higher quality mask, please ask a security guard for a KN95.

If CUNY changes its policy on masking, I am sure the Chancellor will notify everyone.  For now, masks are still required and we are enforcing this policy.

Thank you for your cooperation

Ken Ihrer
VP of Operations and CIO
COVID Coordinator
The City College of New York
212-650-7400

FRIENDLY REMINDER: With the ever-changing COVID climate and CUNY/CCNY guidance updates, please be reminded that all "return to campus" and COVID-related information can be found on the CCNY Return To Campus subsite. It is highly recommended that you bookmark this page, and/or subscribe to RSS feeds of content sections to ensure quick and easy access to relevant content. 

Memos from my office, as well as those coming from the Office of the President, and CUNY directly, will also be found on the Return to Campus subsite. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the subsite and its contents. This will be helpful as we prepare to return to campus as safely as possible. 

Ken Ihrer
VP of Operations and CIO
COVID Coordinator
The City College of New York
212-650-7400

I hope you were able to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends and, as we look to begin the new year, are cautiously optimistic as I am that 2022 will be a year of positive change.

One of the key areas of focus will be recapturing some of the elements that have made CUNY a beacon of student success and social mobility such as campus support services, higher levels of in-person instruction, and student activities.

State and city leaders have recognized the importance of restoring in-person activities and instruction as we move ahead in 2022. Last Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a series of measures impacting CUNY and SUNY for the Spring semester, including:

• Students enrolled in in-person or hybrid classes for Spring 2022 will be required to get the booster shot as soon as they are eligible for it. We will soon share details of the process for students to provide proof of booster vaccination, along with the deadlines for doing so. In the meantime, I encourage not only students but all members of our community to get the booster shot, which has been shown to provide further protection against COVID-19 and its variants.
• All faculty will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ensuring that everyone in a classroom is vaccinated, except the few with approved exemptions or exceptions. We are grateful that most of our faculty are already vaccinated and ask that faculty upload proof of vaccination in CUNYfirst. If you are among the few who are not vaccinated, please take immediate steps to do so. In the weeks ahead, we will outline details of the faculty mandate policy, which requires approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees.
• Pre-testing before the Spring semester begins for some student groups taking in-person or hybrid classes. We will provide more guidance about this as we get closer to the start of the semester but, as in the past, students returning to dorms will be required to be tested before moving in.

Vaccines will continue to be required for all students taking in-person and hybrid courses. Any enrolled student who has not uploaded proof of vaccination documents to CUNYfirst by Jan. 18 will be de-registered from in-person and hybrid classes for non-compliance with the vaccination mandate. If they subsequently upload proof, they may register for courses up to the end of the add/drop period on Feb. 3.

New CDC Guidelines

CUNY will begin following CDC's recently issued guidance that adjusted the recommended quarantine and isolation times for people in close contact with someone who is positive or those who test positive:

• CUNY employees and students who come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 should base their approach to quarantine – if it is needed when to end it, and when to test – depending on whether they are boosted, fully vaccinated, and when, or unvaccinated. Please follow CDC's guidance on quarantine spelled here.
• Employees and students who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for at least 5 days. When to end isolation, test, and return to in-person work or class varies depending on whether or not a person develops symptoms or is severely ill. Please follow CDC's guidance on isolation spelled here.
• For a detailed description of CDC's guidelines on quarantine and isolation visit here.
• Employees who are able to work remotely during quarantine and isolation should do so.

In-Person Work

In accordance with existing CUNY campus plans, CUNY offices will continue to operate at the 50% in-person capacity guidelines that have been in place since August now through February 25. Starting on Monday, February 28, staff members will work 70% of the time in person. Please start to make any needed preparations to be ready for this transition.

During the current Omicron surge, supervisors are encouraged to work with Human Resources to address individual situations where short-term fully remote work arrangements may be particularly aligned with our commitment to mitigate the potential spread of infection. We urge employees who are not feeling well to stay home.

A reminder that any staff member returning to work this spring for the first time in-person will need to be fully vaccinated, and their proof-of-vaccination documents uploaded and approved in CUNYfirst, or they will need to participate in CUNY's Cleared4 testing program. Please don't wait to upload your proof of vaccination or get set up for testing.

Testing

CUNY will continue to monitor campus and university-wide positivity rates through our testing programs. Since August 25, CUNY has administered 97,640 tests to unvaccinated individuals. You can check the latest numbers in our COVID-19 Safety Tracker available here.

The random testing of vaccinated students, faculty, and staff that began in late November will be expanded for the Spring to include more people and increase the frequency of testing. Please be on the lookout in case you are randomly selected to be tested as you are required to comply.

A reminder that we are offering free PCR testing at CUNY testing sites. Any CUNY student or employee who needs to be tested for any reason may walk into a site, show their CUNY ID, register in the system, and get tested. Results will be available as usual within 24 to 48 hours. For a list of CUNY sites and hours of operation, visit here. For our general FAQ on the testing program, visit here.

The policies outlined above are intended to safeguard the health of every member of our University community while safely enabling us to maximize in-person instruction, an objective that we understand to be vital to our students' academic success. We realize that public health conditions can evolve rapidly and, as we have seen repeatedly over the past two years, federal, state and city officials could modify these policies and procedures as appropriate.

We will provide more information soon; in the meantime, please get vaccinated and boosted, remain diligent about masking and distancing, and stay safe.

Sincerely,

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Chancellor

1. Mask Wearing
2. Campus Access
3. CUNY Expanding Availability of COVID Testing at CUNY Sites 
4. COVID Testing – Random
5. COVID Testing – Weekly
6. COVID Vaccinations

1.  MASK WEARING

All University employees, contractors, and visitors to our campus are required to wear a mask all times when – 

• Inside office buildings, including while working in non-enclosed space (i.e., cubicle or other open seating) regardless of physical distance from others
• Outdoors on campus grounds and when unable to maintain social distance (i.e., more than six feet) from others.

Exceptions to mask-wearing when inside campus buildings are limited to the following situations:

• If a fully vaccinated person is alone in an enclosed space such as an office or conference room
• A faculty member, while in a classroom, may choose not to wear a mask, if they can maintain social distance (i.e., more than six feet) from everyone else in the class.
• Briefly while eating or drinking provided social distancing (i.e., more than six feet) is maintained

Mask wearing is a vital component of the health and safety protocols implemented by CUNY to protect employees and all visitors to the workplace.  It is imperative that, while on campus, employees and all others refrain from getting too comfortable by removing their masks when among co-workers or other individuals with which they are familiar.

Employees who have an underlying health condition that is protected by the ADA may request a reasonable accommodation. The employee should contact  humanresources@ccny.cuny.edu  for more information.

Please be advised that mask-wearing is a CUNY directive.  Employees/contractors/visitors who fail to comply with the directive may be asked to leave the campus and/or be subject to other punitive action.

2.  CAMPUS ACCESS

As of December 6, 2021, the College has discontinued the use of the V-22 identification sticker and the Excelsior Pass for campus access.  At this time, employees and visitors to the campus are required to utilize the Cleared4 CUNY Access Pass to gain entry to College Facilities.

Employees who have not yet completed their registration with the Cleared4 system should do so now.  Once registered for the Cleared4 system, employees can access or print their CUNY Access Pass by pasting their personalized link into any web browser and selecting "Show Access Pass".  Employees can also display their CUNY Access Pass on their mobile phones or other smart devices.

Employees who require assistance with registering for the Cleared4 CUNY Access Pass are asked to email their inquiries to  covidtesting@ccny.cuny.edu .  Please also see the December 2, 2021, communications from the College's Vice President of Operations on-campus access with Cleared4.

3. CUNY EXPANDING AVAILABILITY OF TESTING AT CUNY SITES

Effective December 28, 2021, any CUNY employee who needs to be tested for any reason can walk into a CUNY-approved testing site, show their CUNY ID, register in the Cleared4 system, and get tested. Results will be available as usual within 24 to 48 hours. For additional information, please read the Chancellor's communication dated December 21, 2021.

4.  RANDOM COVID-19 TESTING FOR VACCINATED EMPLOYEES

Effective November 17, 2021, CUNY implemented a random testing program for vaccinated employees. Fully vaccinated employees with approved vaccination information in CUNYfirst will be randomly selected to participate in the COVID-19 testing program. The following is a brief overview of the program:

1. Random testing is not optional and is necessary in order to obtain campus-wide results each week and thus help keep everyone safe.
2. Each week, selected individuals will receive an email from  no-reply@cleared4.org  with the subject line "Message from City University of New York (CUNY)".
3. The email from  no-reply@cleared4.org  includes instructions for employees to complete their registration via a personalized link.
4. The selected employees will have to test at a CUNY test site within 7 days of receipt of the email
5. If the COVID-19 test result comes back positive, the Access Pass will be removed and the employee will be contacted by a Coronavirus Task Force Liaison for guidance
6. Test results will not be accepted from a Non-CUNY testing site.
7. No appointment is necessary, however, if an employee plans to get tested during their work week, then they are expected to inform their supervisor and arrange to get time off for testing.
8. Test results will be available within 48 hours and employees will maintain their Access Pass to CUNY facilities while the results are pending.
9. If an employee does not show up to be tested within the required 7-day period, they will be contacted by a campus or program representative on the next steps.
10. Employees who schedule a testing appointment at a CUNY testing site during their scheduled work week will be given 30 minutes of paid time if the testing site is on their campus or office location, and 45 minutes if they need to travel to another CUNY location.
11. Employees should record the time taken to test on their timesheet as "Leave Type" COVID-19 Priority Testing (CPT).

12. For additional information and/or questions about COVID-19 random testing program, visit this FAQ or www.adnas.com/CUNYhelp  or  humanresources@ccny.cuny.edu .

    If you do not receive your test results within 24 hours (if taken on a weekday) or within 48 hours (if taken on a weekend), please contact the vendor's helpdesk: https://adclops.freshdesk.com/support/home

    Please note: When taking the COVID-19 test at a CUNY site, it is recommended that you make a note or take a picture of the number on your sample kit; this makes it easier when following up with the help desk.

13. A list of CUNY-approved testing sites is available here.  For your convenience, the location and hours of the City College test site are provided below:
    
    City College's COVID-19 testing site is in the Faculty Dining Room located in the North Academic Center (NAC) Building.  The entrance is on 138th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

    The hours of operation for CCNY’s testing site are as follows:

    • Monday 2pm-5pm
    • Tuesday 2pm-5pm
    • Wednesday 9am-12pm
    • Thursday 9am-12pm
    • Friday 9am-12pm

5.  COVID-19 – WEEKLY TESTING POOL

Employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination in CUNYfirst are required to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing at one of CUNY's designated testing sites. 

The following is a brief review of some of the main points related to weekly testing:

1. To participate in weekly testing, employees are required to register with CUNY's testing vendor, ADCL (Applied DNA Clinical Labs);
2. Employees who are required to participate in weekly testing were sent an email (to their College Email address) with a personalized link from  no-reply@cleared4work.com .   Employees subject to weekly testing and who have not accessed their personalized link should do so now and follow the instructions provided to complete their registration.
3. Employees who have questions or need help registering for weekly testing are advised to contact ADCL's support desk- https://adclops.freshdesk.com/support/home.  You may also send an email to covidtesting@ccny.cuny.edu .
4. Test results from CUNY's testing sites are sent directly to the employee's email address within 24 hours to 48 hours. If you do not receive your test results within 24 hours (if taken on a weekday) or within 48 hours (if taken on a weekend), please contact the vendor's helpdesk: https://adclops.freshdesk.com/support/home 
5. Test results will not be accepted from a non-CUNY testing site.  For your convenience, the list of CUNY-approved testing sites is again provided here.
6. Employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be subject to the College's contact tracing protocol.

6. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

All employees entering the City College campus (or any other CUNY site) are required to do one of the following in order to enter the campus:

(1) show proof of full vaccination (defined as 14 days after receiving the final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine) or (2) show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than seven days prior to the date the employee wishes to enter the campus.  (See below information about COVID-19 testing.)

Vaccinated employees are expected to upload their vaccination documentation into CUNYfirst.  The specific steps required to complete this process are provided in the link below: https://cunyithelp.cuny.edu/sp?id=kb_article_view&sys_kb_id=9b2f65cb1b75b85014a8c99f1d4bcb9c

Employees receive paid time-off to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine or the COVID booster vaccine if the appointment is scheduled during their work week.  Employees will be granted up to four (4) hours of excused leave per vaccine dose for a total of eight (8) hours for a two (2) dose vaccination.

Employees are expected to notify and obtain prior approval from their supervisor for paid time-off to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine if their appointment is scheduled during the employee's work week.

Employees should record the time taken to get vaccinated on their timesheet as "Leave Type" CVL-COVID-19 Vaccination Leave. 

Individuals can find a vaccination location near them by following the link below: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/

At this time, employees who are approved to work fully remote are not required to submit to the weekly testing (or show proof of vaccination).

Employees are encouraged to review CCNY's reopening plan at https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/return-campus/reopening-plans for information on the College's mask guidelines and the other measures that have been put in place to help ensure health and safety on the campus.

Should you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at  humanresources@ccny.cuny.edu .

Thank you. 

The rise in COVID cases on campus has had an impact on our Public Safety and Facilities staff and we are currently operating under significant shortages.  Because of this situation, access to buildings where the number of occupants are low, will be by a phone request to public safety.  We have identified the following buildings where access will be by request only:  Compton Goethals, Spitzer and Aaron Davis Hall.  If you need access to one of these buildings, please call public safety after your arrival at 212-650-7777.  After your call, a public safety officer will arrive and check your Cleared4 pass and let you into the building.

Thank you for your cooperation during this difficult time. We will continue to assess the situation and will make changes to the number of buildings, either up or down, based on current staffing levels.

Sincerely,

Ken Ihrer
Vice President of Operations
Chief Information Officer
The City College of New York
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

Beginning January 1, 2022, the following policies will go into effect:

Attendance at the Nat Holman Gymnasium is limited to 30% capacity.

CCNY athletic events will only be open to vaccinated CCNY students, staff, and faculty.

All non-CCNY students, staff, faculty, or spectators will not be permitted to attend any athletic event on campus at this time.

All attendees must provide proof of vaccination and Cleared4 Pass to enter the facility.

All Spectators must wear masks at all times and are encouraged to physically distance themselves.
All gameday personnel, coaches, student-athletes, and team personnel must wear masks at all times.

For more information on CCNY's Health and Safety Policies for Spectators, please contact:

Steve Macias
Interim Director of Athletics
Email: smacias@ccny.cuny.edu
Phone: (212) 650-7551

As of Monday, 12/6/21, we will be discontinuing the use of the V-22 sticker and the Excelsior Pass for campus access (please see my memo on Random COVID Testing).  This means you will need to know how to access your Cleared4 pass. It is best that you practice this before you come to campus.  Please remember that each person has a "personal" link to Cleared4.  This is why we cannot send you generic instructions on how to access your pass.  If you do not know your link or cannot locate it, please send an email to covidtesting@ccny.cuny.edu and we will be able to assist you.

Thank you,

Ken Ihrer
VP of Operations and CIO
COVID Coordinator
The City College of New York
212-650-7400

*Please view the message from VP Ihrer related to RANDOM COVID-19 TESTING.

As advised by CCNY Human Resources, random testing is not optional.  

Being tested when you are notified is not optional and is necessary in order to obtain campus-wide results each week and thus help keep everyone safe.

In any given week, selected individuals will receive an email from no-reply@cleared4.org with subject line “Message from City University of New York (CUNY)”. This email includes instructions to complete their registration via a personalized link and will have to test at a CUNY test site within 7 days (no appointment necessary). CUNY test centers will be closed over Thanksgiving weekend. For your convenience, the list of CUNY approved testing sites is available here. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT TEST RESULTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FROM A NON-CUNY TESTING SITE

For a list of CUNY COVID-19 testing locations and hours, please visit: https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/cuny-covid-19-testing-site-locations/

This notice is comprised of memos sent by VP Ken Ihrer, and the 11/30 memo from our CCNY HR Department related to Random COVID Testing.