NOCCCD has provided the information below to help in reopening our campuses and sites. If you have a question not addressed in this material, please send your question to covidmandate@nocccd.edu.
North Orange County Community College District Status
Our goal continues to be the safety of our employees, students, and community. The District has reviewed the current COVID-19 situation in Orange County with regard to how those indicators might affect our return-to-campus plans.
Overall, California COVID-19 transmission rates, as well as those for Orange County, are trending downward. In a January 31 update, the California Department of Public Health reported the daily COVID-19 case rate was at 183.1 per 100,000 residents, down about 37% from a peak of 291 per 100,000. Statewide test positivity fell to 14.5% for its lowest reading of 2022, down from a peak of 23% earlier this month.
At NOCCCD we have also made substantial progress, with over 96% of our employees now cleared to be on-site in regards to the vaccine mandate. Cypress College and Fullerton College have over 99% of registered students cleared, and NOCE has 96% of its in-person students cleared. Regular on-site testing has resumed at each campus, with results turned around in one to two days. Taking all of this into account, the District welcomed employees back to on-site work three days a week starting February 7, 2022.
On-Site Employee Testing | ||||||
The District has arranged for on-site testing at each of our campuses. Offsite or home tests will not be accepted at this time. On-site PCR tests will be offered as follows:
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Health and Safety Protocols |
Face Coverings All NOCCCD employees and students— whether vaccinated or unvaccinated—are required to wear face coverings while on site, with the following exceptions:
Community members who come on to campus are also asked to wear face coverings at all times. Cal/OSHA Training video on the use of N95 respirators: Information on use of N95 respirator masks: Click here. Employee N95/KN95 Acknowledgement Form: Click here. District Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols
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Positive Case Protocols for Employees |
For the safety of the District/Campus community, any employee who has either received a positive COVID-19 test or thinks that they have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus must take the following steps:
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Vaccine Mandate |
The NOCCCD Board of Trustees has instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees and students who take on-site classes. The vaccine mandate is applicable for every person employed by NOCCCD: full time, part time, all faculty, hourly, professional experts, temporary, voluntary employees, and employees who work remotely. To be in compliance with the mandate, employees must be fully vaccinated as of November 1, 2021, or have an HR-approved medical or religious exemption on file. At the March 22, 2022 Board meeting, the Board of Trustees voted to extend the NOCCCD vaccine mandate to the end of the calendar year (2022), as well as add a booster shot requirement for all employees and students over the age of 12 who access campus and District facilities in-person. This decision was based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that states individuals who are fully "up-to-date" with their vaccine doses—including booster shots—are best protected from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19. Given this direction, NOCCCD will immediately begin to revise the protocols and processes for vaccine mandate compliance to include booster doses based on individual eligibility. At this time, please do not resubmit your vaccination documentation showing your booster dose. Our goal is to have employees and students over the age of 12 "up-to-date" with their vaccines as defined by the CDC as soon as possible, but not later than August 15, 2022. To help with uploading employee information, we've created two tutorial videos: Video on how to upload vaccine information: |
Vaccine Mandate Exemptions |
Employees with approved exemptions must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing at one of the NOCCCD sites. Any employee with an exemption who is unable to fulfill their weekly testing obligation will be found out of compliance with the vaccine mandate and addressed by Human Resources. Video on how to apply for an exemption: |
Webpage last updated 4/1/2022