Will hand sanitizer be available?

Since April, UCF has charged various planning groups with helping to plan for and make decisions about reopening UCF with a phased-in approach that prioritizes the health and safety of all students, faculty and staff members and campus visitors.

Each planning group has a specific charge and is comprised of individuals from across the university who, together, are pioneering a path forward for UCF while following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Board of Governors, and other government and public health officials.

Yes, additional and enhanced cleaning will take place in common spaces and areas where there are frequently touched surfaces, including hallways, stairways, restrooms and elevators.

Employees will be responsible for cleaning and maintaining their individual workspaces, including desks, chairs and computer equipment.

Yes, additional signage and touch-free hand-sanitizing stations will be placed across campus.

Upgrades also are being made to UCF buildings to reduce the number of shared touchpoints in common spaces by the time the fall semester begins. These include more foot-operated door openers and touchless restroom features and elevators.

Classrooms will be cleaned daily. Additional and enhanced cleaning will take place in common spaces and areas where there are frequently touched surfaces, and disinfecting wipes will be available so that students can clean individual work spaces.

In addition, UCF has ordered an additional 1,200 hand sanitizing stations and 2,000 cases of refills. The stations will be strategically placed around campus in high-traffic areas and near commonly touched surfaces, such as near the doors at building entry points.

Some groups will be required be tested upon return to UCF. These groups are all students returning to university-owned housing; all students and staff residing in on-campus Greek housing; and all student-athletes whether living on or off campus. More information about the testing process will be shared with these students in the coming weeks.

For others, COVID-19 testing is available at the main campus in Garage A and at the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center but is not required to return to campus.

Immediate concerns should be brought to your supervisor’s attention. If it is not possible to elevate concerns at the department level, the IntegrityLine is a secure system to report suspected misconduct.

You can reach the IntegrityLine 24/7 at compliance.ucf.edu or 1-855-877-6049. All reports are reviewed by the University Compliance, Ethics and Risk Office, and investigated as discreetly and promptly as possible.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is UCF’s mental health resource for students. You can visit CAPS’ website for information about and resources for coping during this time. Students can also schedule phone or virtual consultation with CAPS by calling 407-823-2811 or visiting their website.

Student Care Services continues to work remotely with anyone who needs additional academic or personal support during this time.

UCF offers our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all non-student employees. This program provides resources to help employees and their dependents cope with these types of life events. The EAP, administered by Health Advocate, provides confidential, short-term counseling at no cost to the employee.

Health Advocate Toll-Free Number: 877-240-6863

Health Advocate Website: HealthAdvocate.com/members

Facility and Safety staff actively participate in the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force that develops global recommendations and guidance for industrial and commercial facilities. UCF will continue to monitor and implement OSHA, CDC and other industry-related guidelines and best practices — adapting our administrative and engineering controls accordingly.

Measures being taken address ventilation, filtration, administrative controls and sterilization technology. Ventilation and filtration provided by HVAC systems can reduce the airborne concentrates of SARS-CoV-2 and, thus, reduce the risk of transmission through the air.

Filtration: UCF’s research facilities utilize MERV 9 pre-filters and MERV 14 final filters. UCF will continue to adhere to the maintenance schedules for quarterly, semi-annual and annual filter changes for all HVAC systems on campus.

Ventilation: UCF will continue to maintain design ventilation rates that are determined by ASHRAE standards for air change rates based on each building’s application.

Administrative controls: UCF is working with the Registrar’s Office on class start times and cleaning schedules, and will provide further updates when the Fall Classroom Seating Task Force further refines the model for opening in fall semester. This will result in an increase in overall ventilation effectiveness per occupant, as the design ACH rates will remain in place or increase where possible, while the population in each building is anticipated to decrease.

Sterilization technology: The university is installing additional ultraviolet-bandwidth energy (UV-C) lighting in air handler units serving instructional and administrative offices. While UV-C will not mitigate transmission risk of SARS and COVID-19 within campus buildings’ HVAC air streams, the ultraviolet energy will help inactivate the DNA and RNA of most viral, bacterial, and fungal organisms so that they are unable to replicate. The kill rate for UV-C is based on a factor of time and exposure to the light. Note that even with high-intensity UV-C irradiation, the deactivation rate will not be 100% for all biological particles.

The HVAC systems are cleaned and disinfected on a quarterly basis, as part of their normal preventive maintenance. This is done through a combination of antimicrobial fogging, UV-C disinfection, bi-polar ionization, electromagnetic filtration, and physical cleaning of the systems. All systems will receive their quarterly preventative maintenance and cleaning service prior to the start of Fall semester.

The energy of ultraviolet light (UV-C) filtration is currently used in some air handlers on campus, as it is effective in disrupting the reproductive DNA and RNA of infectious pathogens and helps maintain a clean and sterile environment inside the air handlers. UV-C technology is currently being installed in select high-density instructional, administrative offices and operational support buildings. Buildings that are already 100% outside air, single pass airstream by design are not currently slated for UV-C lighting rollouts as none of those air systems have any return air from the occupied spaces. AHU systems in research buildings that do utilize mixed return and outside air (offices, classrooms) are slated for UV-C lighting.

Detailed instructions on how to access and utilize the COVID Self-Checker are available online for employees and supervisors.