Campus Visitors and Volunteers

The following webpage contains COVID-19 guidance developed for students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). This guidance was periodically reviewed and updated between March 2020 and June 2024.

Last Updated: 10-05-2023

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All visitors and volunteers must comply with current EVMS masking and social distancing policies while in EVMS facilities and should not come to campus if sick. Visitors and Volunteers who have not been issued a badge are required to check in with security when entering non-clinical buildings. These buildings include Brickell Library, Lester Hall, Lewis Hall and Waitzer Hall.

Each department is responsible for ensuring that any individual invited to campus by the department has a legitimate business purpose to be in EVMS facilities, is aware of required EVMS safety protocols, and is not exhibiting signs of illness.

Directive for volunteers

Volunteers on the EVMS campus will have to conform to the universal vaccination and masking directives that apply to employees and students.

Human Resources and Occupational Health are responsible for the onboarding of volunteers and that process mirrors onboarding of employees where applicable. Learn more about the volunteer process on the Human Resources website.

In the majority of cases, volunteers do not meet the typical definition of a "visitor" because they are on campus for extended periods, ranging from several months to several years. They also perform tasks and training alongside employees and students in all settings (i.e. office, labs, and clinic).

Volunteers will be training/observing in our work environment alongside our employees and students and therefore must fulfill the universal vaccination and masking requirements that are required of our employees and students.

Four steps to a safer campus

To ensure the safety of all members of the EVMS community, all visitors must be symptom free and follow EVMS safety protocols as follows:

1. Health Monitoring

• Any visitor with any of the following symptoms will not be admitted to EVMS facilities
• Fever (subjective or objective) ≥ 100.0 F
• Signs/symptoms of a lower respiratory illness (cough or shortness of breath)
• Loss of sense of taste or smell
• Sore throat; or
• Other symptoms such as muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, runny nose, fatigue

2. Social/Physical Distancing

While social distancing is no longer required it is still recommended for individuals who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines or those at higher risk of getting sick with COVID-19.

3. Face Masks/ PPE

Masks continue to be required in EVMS Medical Group departments and in certain common spaces in clinical buildings, including lobbies, elevators, hallways and bathrooms on clinical floors. Clinical buildings include Hofheimer Hall, Andrews Hall, Williams Hall/Strelitz Diabetes and SGF Jones Institute.

Masks are not required, regardless of vaccination status, in the following spaces:

• All non-clinical buildings
• Study rooms in all buildings
• Shared break rooms located in clinical departments (e.g. resident rooms, lunch spaces, etc.)
• Classrooms, labs and other academic rooms
• The student and employee Wellness Centers
• Educational lecture rooms that are in clinical buildings (e.g., Grand Rounds)

Eye protection in EVMS Medical Group departments is no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals who are providing routine clinical care.

Although wearing masks is optional, COVID-19 remains active in the region and individuals who want to continue to wear a mask for any reason are free to do so.

4. Hand Hygiene

For masking to be successful, it must be accompanied by hand hygiene, which includes frequent handwashing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Note: Volunteers are not visitors and must follow the onboarding process required by Human Resources. Learn more about the volunteer process on the Human Resources website.