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COVID-19 Testing & Isolation Guidance

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Updated guidance:  August 11, 2022 

These guidelines are provided as a resource to the Hendrix community. Please follow these guidelines to help protect others. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to report COVID-19 cases to the COVID Response Team. It is best to report a positive test using the form linked below so we can collect all pertinent information.

Report a Positive Test Result

Please refer any questions to aboutcovid19@hendrix.edu.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Isolation), then you should take the following steps to help protect others:

  1. Isolate and stay home for a minimum of 5 days.
    2. Notify your instructors and supervisors to report your absence and discuss important course and work-related issues.
        • Request a letter to share with your instructor/supervisor/advisor from the COVID-19 Response Team by uploading a test result here.
        1. Contact a healthcare provider to discuss your test result and treatment options. Seek immediate medical care if you experience any emergency warning signs.
        2. Notify your close contacts about exposure.
          • Review the CDC’s How To Talk To Your Close Contacts for help. Go to  www.tellyourcontacts.org if you prefer to stay anonymous when notifying close contacts.
          • Close contacts are defined as anyone within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes during the infectious period (begins 48 hours before symptoms started or before the positive test was collected if no symptoms and ends once a person is recovered).
        3. You may end isolation after 5 days IF:
          • You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the aid of medication).
          • Your symptoms are gone or improving.
          • If you are NOT fever-free or your symptoms are not improving on day 6, then stay in isolation until your symptoms improve and you are fever-free for at least 24 hours. You may consider retesting for COVID-19. If it’s still positive, then you should remain in isolation until you test negative or for a full 10 days.
          • If you are severely ill or are immunocompromised, talk to your doctor about treatments and when to safely end isolation.
          1. Until Day 11, take the following precautions:

          *Calculating Isolation – Day 0 is the first day of symptoms or if no symptoms, the day the test was collected. 

          ** A final COVID test at the end of your isolation period is recommended if you have ready access to testing. If you test and receive a positive result from an antigen test (self or provider administered), then you should stay in isolation until you receive a negative antigen test result.

          The guidance provided below for if you are a close contact or if you have signs or symptoms is provided as a recommendation. You are not required to report exposure or symptoms, but you should take the following steps on your own to protect others.

          If you have recently been in close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more) with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, then you should take the following steps to help protect others:

          1. Everyone (regardless of vaccination status) should take the following steps for a minimum of 10 days following exposure:
            • Watch closely for symptoms. If you develop symptoms, follow the recommendations for if you have signs or symptoms of COVID-19 (below).
            • Avoid being around people who are at high risk for severe illness.
            • Wear a well-fitting mask around others.
            • Avoid travel.

          2. Get tested on or after Day 5 following exposure OR if you develop symptoms.
            • If you test positive, follow the guidelines for Isolation (above).

            *Calculating Quarantine – The date of exposure is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after exposure.

          If you have signs or symptoms of COVID-19, then you should take the following steps to help protect others:

          1. Stay home and get tested.
          2. You may contact a test provider such as the Hendrix Medical Clinic (Schedule Appointment) about testing or use a self-test. Any viral diagnostic test for COVID-19 is sufficient.
          3. Notify your instructors and supervisors that you will be absent until you know the result of the test. 
          4. You should stay home until you know the result.
            • If NEGATIVE, you may return to normal activities as long as you are fever-free for 24 hours and the guidance of your healthcare provider is followed.
            • If POSITIVE, follow the guidelines for Isolation (above).

          - Return to the main coronavirus page of the website for more general information -