COVID-19 Policies, Topics & FAQs

Campus is currently on a hybrid model, with some areas operating remotely. In-person activity is permitted, as specified by school or unit. Clinical faculty and staff are to consult their clinical supervisors.

Numerous parking options help you choose what works best for your schedule, including a new part-time rate and daily visitor parking in addition to monthly, reserved and student parking. Find details on the parking website.

Yes, the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center is open, and you can read about current rules and protocols on their website.

The campus is continuing to closely follow state and local public health guidance, as well as monitoring our campus health through the self-reporting and contact tracing process. This information helps inform our operational decisions as a campus, and we are prepared to pivot from our current model if/when needed.

Yes. The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz has been disbursing CARES Act funding to students since May 1. The Financial Aid webpage provides details on how to apply. Read the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Disclosure for more information on these funds and how they were distributed.

Find the FAFSA form and more information on the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office website.

 

While on campus, contractors and vendors must follow the same campus protocols set forth for our faculty, students, staff and community.

 

Read about COVID-19 symptoms on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Learn how to add your phone to activate exposure notifications.

If you are symptomatic:

• Do not come to campus
• Get tested for COVID-19
• Notify your supervisor/unit head to navigate taking sick time
• Use the CDC calculator to determine isolation period
• Do not return to campus until symptoms are improved and you have gone 24+ hours with no fever, without use of fever-reducing medications

The campus protocols webpage contains information and FAQs on masks, physical distancing, vaccination requirements and other protocols.

• UCHealth testing by appointment
• Free community testing sites across Colorado
• Children’s Hospital Colorado testing by appointment

Follow CDC guidance on what to do if exposed. You do not need to self-report, but should wear a mask around others for 10 days, monitor for symptoms and test 5 days after exposure. Quarantine is no longer required while asymptomatic.

If you test positive for COVID-19:

• Immediately self-isolate
• Do not come to campus
• Notify your supervisor/unit head to navigate taking sick time
• Use the CDC calculator to determine isolation period
• Do not return to campus until symptoms are improved and you have gone 24+ hours with no fever, without use of fever-reducing medications
  • A negative test result is not required for return, so long as you have isolated for 5+ days, experienced symptom improvement and had no fever for 24+ hours
  • Mask for 5 days upon return to campus

No, it is not necessary to obtain a negative PCR or rapid test before returning to campus after having COVID-19, so long as you have isolated for at least 5 days since your symptoms started, have experienced significant symptom improvement, and have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. You should also mask for 5 days upon returning to campus.

Navigate the absence as you would for any other illness-related absence.

Please check the campus protocols page for the latest information and guidance for events, gatherings & activities on campus.

While on campus, follow current protocols for meetings and events. Continue to use remote meetings where appropriate. 

 

To book event or meeting space on campus, submit a request in EMS. COVID capacities are not in effect at this time. Event organizers may modify existing reservations if alternative campus spaces may be more appropriate for group size.

Yes, food and alcohol are allowed, and may be served and consumed indoors. Alcohol approvals are required and the process remains as it was pre-pandemic. Please reference CU’s sensitive expenditures guidance for details on allowable event expenses, food and beverage, funding sources and necessary approvals.

See the campus protocols page for current mask requirements.

Yes. Visitors and guests, including contractors and vendors, are allowed on campus, provided they follow the same campus protocols as students and employees. Sponsoring units or individuals must ensure visitors and guests are informed of and adhere to campus protocols.

Any event involving paid registrations is required to use Cvent or the CU Storefronts to collect online payment. Any fundraising event or event with paid sponsorships is required to use Cvent to collect online gifts or sponsorship payment. No exceptions. Please contact ecomm@cuanschutz.edu with questions.

Off-campus events are permitted without restrictions, and no central application is required. Other approval processes may be required by departments, units or venues. It is the responsibility of event planners to familiarize themselves with and adhere to any additional processes or restrictions in place, as well as understand venue cancellation policies, keeping in mind that it may become necessary to make changes in the future if COVID-19 conditions warrant.

Contact events@cuanschutz.edu with questions.

You can find mental health resources and information in the following locations:

• Campus mental health resources page
• Faculty & Staff Mental Health Clinic
• Department of Psychiatry’s COVID-19 Support website
• Student & Resident Mental Health website
• HR website
• State of Colorado’s COVID-19 help website

Find out how to request PPE and related supplies here.

Contact your supervisor/unit head, and your unit’s HR business partner, with concerns about returning to campus.

You may also visit our workplace adjustment webpage to learn about our process for responding to concerns and access our form for requests related to current work arrangements.

If you are high-risk or uncomfortable returning to work, please contact your supervisor/unit head, and your unit’s HR business partner.

You may also visit our workplace adjustment webpage to learn about our process for responding to concerns and access our form for requests related to current work arrangements.

Visit the HR website for resources on child and elder care. Please do not bring children to the workplace or classroom.

The remote work policy provides guidance and requirements for supervisors navigating ongoing full-time and part-time remote work, as well as hybrid work arrangements, by individuals in their units. A formalized agreement documenting remote work arrangements is required for safety and risk reasons, and forms are available in the policy document.

Find current mask guideline on the campus protocols page.

No, masks are not provided by the campus. PPE is provided in some clinical settings and laboratories. See CDC guidance on masks.

You can download and print a poster here to post in your area.

Find out how to request PPE and related supplies here.

See CDC guidance on masks.

Visit the campus protocols webpage for information on masks, building access, vaccine requirements and more.

An employee should always follow the policies and procedures of the facility or site they are reporting to on a given day. Please contact the affiliate whose facility you will be working in that day for clarification on their policies or procedures.

You will receive detailed instructions from your supervisor/unit head or COVID official detailing protocols for return and any unit-specific guidelines.

Ask your supervisor/unit head where to find centralized cleaning supplies in your area.

Details on janitorial services and protocols, as well as hand sanitizer stations and other available resources for cleaning on the facilities management website.

Keep up with the latest guidance for Coloradans here.

CO HELP is Colorado’s call line for the novel coronavirus. People who have general questions about COVID-19 can call CO HELP at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911, for answers in many languages, or email them at COHELP@RMPDC.org for answers in English. You can also go to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s COVID-19 website.

Find the latest on travel here.

See CDC guidelines for personal travel.

See CDC guidelines for returning from travel.

Yes, employee travel to domestic locations, international destinations and U.S. territories require approval through the Concur travel request process. Requests will route to the appropriate approval level based on the location(s) of travel. High-risk destinations and countries with export controls, as agreed by the Inter-Campus International Travel Committee, require review and approval by senior leadership. Travel requests made for this subset of countries will automatically route to the appropriate delegate for approval. The traveler may be contacted during the vetting process to provide additional information.

Refer to the CU Procurement Service Center travel website for information on how to submit a request.

Yes. Read about CU Anschutz vaccination requirements and our verification process here.

COVID-19 boosters are highly recommended for all eligible students and employees. Booster information can be added to the vaccine verification system, as detailed here.

Yes. Read about CU Anschutz vaccination requirements and our verification process here.

All COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be accepted. As of June 1, 2021, these are: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Oxford–AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sinovac and Sinopharm-BBIBP. As of July 2022, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is also acceptable.

CU Anschutz Environmental Health & Safety may accept verification of additional COVID-19 vaccines on a case-by-case basis, as they are approved by the WHO.

The university reserves the right to require that an individual receive a WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine, even if that individual may have been previously vaccinated with a non-WHO-approved vaccine.

 

Students and employees may request exemptions to the vaccination requirement, per the CU Anschutz COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. Religious exemptions are not available for students. Learn more here.

 

 

The University adopted its COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of the campus community including the patients that are treated by its faculty and staff in University, UC Health, and Children’s Hospital clinics. The University determined that a mandatory vaccination requirement for its employees and students is the best way to accomplish this goal. 

The university’s Campus Administrative Policy 3012 allows individuals to be exempted from the policy for religious or medical reasons.

The facts and circumstances of each exemption request are considered by a review committee which includes individuals from the legal office and Human Resource for employee exemption requests or the relevant School/College or Program for student exemption requests to determine whether the exemption request meets the legal and policy requirements that allow for individuals to be exempted from the vaccine requirement. The committee may consider other circumstances in its review such as whether the individual has received vaccinations for other diseases in the past. For employees, the committee also evaluates whether  the accommodation sought (not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine) poses an undue burden on the University. 

A review committee consisting of individuals from Occupational Health and the Legal office also reviews each medical exemption request individually  to determine whether the request meets the policy criteria, relying primarily on the guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA, ACIP and relevant state laws, including 6 CCR 1011-1. A medical exemption is allowed if the individual is unable to receive any COVID-19 vaccination based on established contraindications or if known effects of the vaccine may cause a serious or life-threatening complications of an individual's medical condition.  Individual's requesting exemption for medical reasons must provide sufficient detail regarding their medical history to allow determination whether these criteria are met.

CU Anschutz strives  to be a public health leader in Colorado and beyond, and implement campus policies that remain reflective of its values and mission. 

Consolidated Services Admin (CSA) employees will select the CSA Consolidated Unit affiliation and follow CU Anschutz processes.

Academic Services Admin (ASA) employees whose work brings them to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus will select the CU Anschutz Medical Campus affiliation and follow CU Anschutz processes. ASA employees who work on the CU Denver campus 100% of the time will select the ASA Consolidated Unit affiliation and follow CU Denver processes.

All faculty or staff who may be physically present on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus or may access any university facility, or whose employment activities may require in-person interaction with other CU Anschutz employees, students, patients, study subjects or members of the public – including external conferences (regardless of location) - are required to fulfill the university vaccination requirement. Compliance with this policy is required regardless of the individual’s frequency on campus or interaction with others; even a one-time visit or interaction requires compliance.

Positions or programs that require on-campus presence or interaction with others will not be allowed to be performed remotely in order to avoid compliance with this policy. However, positions that have been previously approved by a supervisor as being 100% remote - without any current or future presence at any CU Anschutz facility or in-person interaction with any employee, student, patient or study subject of the CU Anschutz Medical Campus - are not required to comply with this policy.

Students who may be physically present on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus or may access any university facility, or whose academic activities may require in-person interaction with other CU Anschutz employees, students, patients, study subject or members of the public – including external conferences (regardless of location) - are required to fulfill the university vaccination requirement. Compliance with this policy is required regardless of the individual’s frequency on campus or interaction with others; even a one-time visit or interaction requires compliance.

Students, residents and employees in the School of Dental Medicine must both upload their vaccine verification through the school’s compliance portal and complete the university’s vaccine verification process.

Students must complete the CU Anschutz vaccine verification process detailed here. 

If filing an exemption request they must submit the exemption form to their school or program, and submit an exemption request using the vaccine verification system. Religious exemptions are not available for students. Students can then forward their confirmation email to their school or program.

Yes. Those who will be physically present on campus must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their employee start date, or prior to the start of classes.

CU Anschutz will review submitted vaccination verifications on a case-by-case basis for those who have received a non-WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine. As of June 1, 2021, the WHO-approved vaccines are: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Oxford–AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sinovac and Sinopharm-BBIBP. As of July 2022, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is also acceptable. As of April 2022, COVAXIN, Covovax and CanSino are approved.

During the review process, students will be required to adhere to the following on-campus protocols: wear a mask at all times, maintain 6 feet or more of physical distance from others, stay home when sick, and may be subject to frequent asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at their own cost and expense.

Complete the vaccine verification and select 'Other Clinical Trial Vaccine Participant'. You will be contacted for verification.

No. If an employer asks an employee to provide proof that they have been vaccinated, that is not a HIPAA violation, and employees may decide whether to provide that information to their employer. Learn more here.

Yes. Public and private employers including universities may mandate COVID-19 vaccination for students and employees. Learn more here.

Those who wish to exercise an exemption may find more information about how to do so at CU Anschutz here.

Yes, units may request proof of vaccination from their students, employees, visitors and guests.

Please email vaccine@cuanschutz.edu with questions about this process.

No, self-reporting is not currently required. If you are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19, follow the instructions on the CU Anschutz coronavirus homepage. 

Questions? Contact covidquestions@cuanschutz.edu.

Read about university-related and personal travel here.

Find eligibility and detailed guidance on staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, on the CDC website.

Find eligibility and detailed guidance on staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, on the CDC website.

Some Colorado community vaccination sites are allowing drive-up or walk-up vaccination. 

Find more information on Colorado’s vaccine website.

There is no cost to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, and you cannot be turned away based on current medical insurance coverage status.

More information is available here.

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective after large-scale clinical trials. 

Learn more about safety, development and clinical trials from the CDC, and find answers to your questions on Colorado’s vaccine FAQ page.

No. The vaccines do not contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, so they cannot make you sick with COVID-19. 

Get the facts, and learn about the benefits of getting vaccinated from the CDC.

Common side effects may include pain and swelling on the arm where you got the vaccine shot. They may also include fever, chills, tiredness and/or headache. 

Learn more about what to expect after your vaccination here.

Severe allergic reactions were not common during COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. The CDC provides detailed information on allergic reaction concerns, as well as recommendations on safeguards to be put into place at vaccination provider sites including on-site monitoring of all vaccine recipients.

If you get a COVID-19 vaccine and think you may be having an allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, call 911 immediately.

• UCHealth COVID-19 Vaccine Website
• Children’s Hospital Colorado Vaccine Website
• State of Colorado Vaccine Website & FAQs
• CDC Vaccine FAQs