To the Campus Community: 

I want to call your attention to important updates regarding COVID-19.

In order to safeguard the health and safety of our university community, any faculty, staff or student returning from any international travel or having close contact with anyone who has been confirmed to have COVID-19 will need to self-quarantine for 14-days and receive approval before returning to work/campus.

If you have not registered your international travel to any location outside the United States, you must do so before returning to campus.

Due to the increase in the number of cases related to community spread, we are implementing two new reporting requirements.  First, faculty, staff and students who have reason to believe that they have been exposed to an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 must report that information to the university.  Second, faculty, staff and students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 must report that diagnosis to the university.

Those required forms are on the university’s COVID-19 website: https://uh.edu/covid-19/

We realize many people may still have questions about COVID-19 or have begun to experience a variety of heightened emotions during this period of uncertainty.  Please know that UH has resources available that can provide support for you including the following:

• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers an array of services intended to meet your needs where you are.  The phone number is 713.743.5454.
• Current United Healthcare – Service Resources member and non-member students can connect with a physician via phone and/or video chat using Telehealth
• Employees can visit the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to find self-help tools and learn more about the resources available.  Employees can also call to schedule a free, confidential appointment with one of their many skilled professionals.

Please keep your community responsibility in mind.  Actions everyone can take to mitigate the spread of infection include everyday preventive measures, like good handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and staying home when you are sick. The CDC provides helpful information about these “nonpharmaceutical interventions”.  Employees will be sent home if they come to campus with symptoms of fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.

We are a campus community that is rising to meet the challenge, adapting to different learning and working configurations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We shall remain a caring and cohesive community of resilient Coogs.

Sincerely,