Aspire Health Alliance is following DPH and CDC directives and guidance to manage COVID 19-Positive cases and exposures and as they periodically update, we revise this summary of their directives for health care providers and the public both of which include staff at Aspire Health Alliance. Aspire will continue to monitor Federal and State guidance as well as county COVID rates in Massachusetts and revise our internal processes accordingly.

Self-Monitoring: Colleagues are instructed to monitor their health daily for symptoms of COVID-19. If you are planning to work on-site and have COVID symptoms, 1) you should not come to work, 2) seek advice from your PCP regarding a test and next steps, 3) contact your supervisor and 4) let Human Resources know.

Infection Control: Staff who work on-site are instructed to follow Aspire Infection Control Guidelines, including self- monitoring for symptoms, staying home if sick, frequent handwashing or using hand sanitizers, and cleaning of work areas and hi-touch areas in the site.

Masking:
• As of 10-26-22, masking is no longer required for vaccinated staff. Unvaccinated staff MUST be masked at all times.
• Clients, regardless of vaccine status, are no longer required to mask.
• After a known exposure to a COVID 19 + person: You must wear a mask any time you are on site for 10 days following your exposure.
• Returning to work after COVID-19:HR will direct you how long you must be masked following return to work.


Process for Management of Time Away and Return to Work for Staff

COVID TESTING
Home COVID test results are now acceptable for Aspire and results should be reported to your manager and HR

“Up-to-date” on COVID-19 Vaccinations is defined as:
•​Completed the primary series of Pfizer, Moderna or J&J vaccine AND a booster dose OR
•​Completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 5 months OR
•​Completed the primary series of J&J vaccine within the last 2 months


Working with Human Resources when symptomatic for COVID or COVID positive
All staff who are testing positive or presenting with COVID like symptoms must continue to let their manager know.
Managers are responsible to email Marybeth Hasenfuss or Donna Fridgen the name of the staff who is presenting with COVID like symptoms or has tested positive. The manager must include the staff member’s phone number in the email to HR, so HR can follow up.

COVID 19 symptoms with a positive test result OR COVID 19 positive test but no symptoms
Do not come to work. Report your PCP recommendation or your test results to HR. Your results will remain confidential unless you provide us with permission to share your details.
a. If you test positive for COVID-19 on either a rapid antigen or PCR test, you are required to self-isolate – whether you are vaccinated or not.
Able to Mask Isolation Guidance:
• Day 0, first day of symptoms OR day the positive test was taken, whichever is earlier
• Days 1-4, continue to isolate
• Day 5, last day of Isolation if asymptomatic or symptoms are improving
• Day 6, leave isolation (if you are able to wear a mask at all times when around other people, including in your household, through day 10). You may remove your mask prior to day 11, if you have had two negative tests 48 hours apart.
Unable to Mask Isolation Guidance:
• Stay home and isolate for 10 days
• If you have never had symptoms or symptoms are improving, you may end your isolation on day 11.
Return to work:
Person who had COVID-19 symptoms and is isolating may return to work following approval from HR:
• after 5 days have passed since the first positive COVID-19 viral test was taken; AND
• symptoms have substantially improved, including being fever-free, for 24 hours; AND
• person is fully vaccinated (meaning it has been at least 14 days since the health care worker has received at least one dose of J&J/Janssen vaccine or two doses of Pfizer or Moderna) , ; AND
• person received a negative viral test (antigen or molecular) on Day 5 or later.
HR will inform you how long you will need to mask onsite upon return to work.

Person who has been asymptomatic and is isolating may return to work after 5 days following approval from HR:
• person is fully vaccinated (meaning it has been at least 14 days since the health care worker has received at least one dose of J&J/Janssen vaccine or two doses of Pfizer or Moderna)2,3; AND
• person received a negative viral test (antigen or molecular) on Day 5 or later.
HR will inform you how long you will need to mask onsite upon return to work.

Exposure to COVID 19 test positive person:
• You are a close contact of a COVID-19 positive person if you were within 6 feet of them while indoors, for at least 15 minutes, while they were symptomatic or within 2 days before symptom onset.
• You are also a close contact if you were indoors and within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 (but did not have symptoms) and your exposure happened in the 2 days before their test was taken to anytime in the 10 days after the test.
• You do not need to quarantine as long as you are asymptomatic, regardless of vaccine status.
• You must wear a mask any time you are around others for 10 days following your exposure.
• If you develop symptoms at any time, isolate, test and stay home until you have test results. Take a test on day 6.
• For day 6 test:
-If you have not had COVID -19 in last 90 days, you can test with rapid antigen or PCR test.
-People who have had COVID-19 in last 90 days should test with rapid antigen test, NOT a PCR test.
-People who had COVID-19 in the last 30 days are NOT recommended to test on day 6 but should use a rapid antigen test if they develop any symptoms.

Travel Restrictions/Notifications:
At this time, Aspire has no travel restrictions or requirement for notification of travel in place.

Room Capacity:
There is no longer a capacity limit on any rooms or meeting spaces.

Signage:
• All sites must have the new self-screening posters and new masking signage at entries.
• All other signage should be taken down

Vaccine Boosters:
Although not required at this point, Aspire does recommend all employees obtain the updated booster now available
Information regarding Updated (Bivalent) Boosters
• Previous boosters are called “monovalent” because they were designed to protect against the original virus that causes COVID-19. They also provide some protection against Omicron, but not as much as the updated (bivalent) boosters
• The updated (bivalent) boosters are called “bivalent” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5.
• Two COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, have developed updated (bivalent) COVID-19 boosters.