COVID-19 Information

  • As of April 11, 2023, the State University of New York (SUNY) announced that a COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be mandated for students to attend a SUNY institution, effective for summer courses.
  • OCC, as part of the SUNY system, will also no longer be requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for attendance, or to live in our Residence Hall, but strongly encourage students stay up to date on all vaccinations.  
  • Students with clinical rotations, internships, or filed placements will be required to follow the vaccine requirements of the host site.  
  • COVID has not been eradicated and without a doubt many individuals on campus will feel more comfortable continuing to wear a mask. OCC will remain mask-friendly for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
  • We will continue to provide the process for students to submit their proof of vaccination, and we will continue to report the vaccine status of our students.
  • Individuals should visit the CDC website for real time information on protocols and other updates.

Covid Guidelines:

  • Take extra precautions such as avoiding crowds and physically distancing when you are around people who are more likely to get extremely sick from Covid-19, while onsite in the work environment or interacting with members of the public. 
     
  • Watch for symptoms such as: fever, cough, or shortness of breath. 
     
  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19, test immediately. If you do not have symptoms but have 
    been exposed to COVID-19, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before taking a test. 
     
  • If you test negative, you can resume your normal activities, but take precautions over the next 5 
    days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.

  • Stay home and away from others.

  • You can resume normal activities if, over a period of 24 hours, your overall symptoms have been improving and you have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medications. Note: Symptoms improving can mean different things to different people, make sure your symptoms are truly getting better. If your symptoms are not significantly improving, you should continue to stay home.

  • The CDC recommends to take precautions over the next 5 days such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.

  • Contact Talicia Speight, Human Resources Coordinator at t.j.speight@sunyocc.edu for further guidance.

  • You may be contagious. For the next 5 days: take added precaution, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. This is especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.
  • Under New York Covid Leave you may be entitled to full pay for up to 14 days while recovering from Covid. The law guarantees job-protected paid leave to workers who are subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation for COVID-19, issued by the state of New York, the Department of Health, local board of health, or any government entity duly authorized to issue such order, or whose minor dependent child is under such an order.
  • The amount of New York COVID-19 sick time an employee testing positive for COVID-19 may be eligible for will be case-dependent upon: (1) whether the employee is experiencing any symptoms (as an employee experiencing no symptoms is now under no advisement to isolate); and (2) how long the employee’s symptoms (including, any fever) last
  • Employees may use New York COVID-19 sick leave for up to three instances of testing positive and need only provide a self-affirmation of the need to isolate for the first use of the leave.
  • A second or third use of the leave must be based on a positive COVID-19 test and the employee must submit documentation from a licensed medical provider or testing facility attesting that the employee has tested positive for COVID-19.
  • COVID-19 Sick Leave