Isolation and Quarantine

Key Information

What should I do if I test positive for COVID-19?

If you tested positive for COVID-19, do not come to campus. Start your 5 days of isolation. If you received a positive test through a third-party (including at-home tests), use the Daily Wellness Check and submit your positive test result on the Wellness Portal as soon as possible. The Northeastern Wellness Team will then contact you about next steps. If you have technical difficulties submitting your document on the Wellness Portal, please submit it by emailing contact-tracing@northeastern.edu. You will be exempted from the weekly testing requirement for 90 days following the positive test.

It is important that anyone who tests positive outside of a Northeastern testing center submits their positive test result on the Wellness Portal as soon as possible. Not submitting your positive test result may result in not being eligible for the 90-day testing exemption, and having to isolate again for 5 days following a positive PCR test on campus.

What happens if I am a student living off-campus and get a positive COVID-19 diagnosis?

You will receive emailed instructions to contact the Tufts Medical Center telehealth service to let you know what you need to do, as well as a contact tracing questionnaire. If a vaccinated individual tests positive they will need to isolate, regardless of their vaccination status. We will also connect you with We Care and Off-Campus Housing and Support Services for additional support.

How does Northeastern notify me of a positive test result?

If you test positive at the Cabot Center on the Boston Campus, you will receive an email informing you of the result and a questionnaire from our contact tracing team. You will also receive the contact information for Tufts Medical Center telehealth, who can provide clinical guidance.

Students, faculty, and staff will no longer receive a call from our contact tracing team, only an email informing them of their positive test and the contact tracing questionnaire. Please pay close attention to your email following each test.

Can I still test on campus during the 90-day testing exemption period?

Northeastern University only provides testing for individuals who have tested positive within the past 90 days if they develop new symptoms. If you develop symptoms, please report them to Daily Wellness Check to schedule a test. If you need a negative test result to travel or because of your employer’s policy, please find a testing site off-campus.

Isolation

How long should I isolate following a positive test?

Per CDC guidelines, positive individuals should isolate for five days, beginning either with the day symptoms began or the date of your positive test, whichever came first. Isolation can end after day 5 if you are no longer symptomatic, though you should continue wearing a mask around others for 5 more days. If symptoms remain after 5 days, isolation must continue for an additional 5 days (for a total of 10) or until the symptoms resolve, whichever occurs first. Students may leave isolation to get tested, attend medical appointments, and pick up food.

You should also reach out to your instructors, department chair, or manager, letting them know if you plan on working remotely or need flexibility as you remain in isolation. As always, you are not required to share the details of your medical status with anyone.

Are fully vaccinated individuals required to isolate if they test positive for COVID-19?

If a vaccinated individual tests positive they will need to isolate for 5 days, regardless of their vaccination status. Our vaccination and booster requirements will allow students to isolate in their rooms—either on or off-campus. Isolation typically lasts for 5 days followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others (both indoors and outdoors), but the exact duration may extend to 10 days based on the person’s symptoms and the date of their positive test. You should report a positive test through the Wellness Portal.

How am I released from isolation?

You can leave isolation if you are no longer symptomatic and if at least 5 days have passed since either the onset of symptoms or their positive test, whichever occurred first. They must continue to wear a mask for another 5 days. Faculty and staff administer their isolation on their own cognizance, but they should follow the same isolation procedures as students.

You are no longer required to be cleared by the Wellness Team or to receive a clinician’s letter prior to returning to campus. Of greatest importance is that you are symptom free and that an appropriate amount of time has passed since your symptoms began and you tested positive.

What happens if my roommate tests positive?

Roommates of those who test positive should consider themselves “close contacts” and monitor themselves for symptoms. If they begin to exhibit symptoms, they should immediately obtain a Covid test, irrespective of their weekly testing cadence.

Are roommates considered part of a ‘household’?

In off-campus housing, a ‘household’ would likely include other housemates living in the same house. In on-campus housing, a ‘household’ would likely include students who are living in the same suite and sharing a common area.

Keeping Up With Coursework

Will students who are in isolation still have access to classes?

Students who are in isolation can reach out to their instructors for accommodations and access to classes. Faculty have received information on options for accommodating these absences, which may include remote class participation and recording of lectures. Students who are having difficulty in making these arrangements should contact their academic advisor or contact We Care at 617.373.7591 or wecare@northeastern.edu.

What actions should I take if I am a faculty member and a student in my class tests positive?

If you are identified as a close contact, you should monitor yourself for symptoms. If you begin to exhibit symptoms, you should immediately obtain a Covid test, irrespective of your weekly testing cadence.

What actions should I take if I am a student and my instructor or another student in my class tests positive?

If you are a close contact of a person who tests positive, please continue to complete the Daily Wellness Check every day you are on campus, wear a mask, and wash your hands regularly.​If you develop any new symptoms, immediately report it on the Daily Wellness Check and then stay in your room as much as possible until a healthcare provider directs you that it is safe to resume daily activities. If you develop any new symptom, get tested as soon as possible. To protect the privacy of the person who tested positive, please do not share information about another person’s positive test.

Close Contacts, Exposure, Quarantine

What is the definition of a close contact, or exposure to COVID-19?

What should I do if I’m exposed to COVID-19?

If you are exposed to COVID-19, use the Daily Wellness Check to report exposure, even if you are fully vaccinated. You should monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 and wear a mask indoors for 14 days following the exposure. If you are located on the Boston campus, the Wellness team will provide you with next steps over email. If you are located on another campus, you will be prompted to call a medical professional and should follow the next steps they give you.

Are unvaccinated individuals required to quarantine if they are exposed to COVID-19?

If you are unvaccinated with an approved exemption, you are required to quarantine for at least 7 days and up to 14 days, depending on your symptoms and test results. The Northeastern Wellness Team will provide you the guidance on testing and quarantine duration. Northeastern follows Massachusetts guidance on quarantine for students based in Boston. Use the Daily Wellness Check to report exposure and our COVID-19 Wellness Team will guide you on the next steps.

Are fully vaccinated individuals required to quarantine if they are exposed to COVID-19?

If a vaccinated individual is exposed to someone with COVID-19 (the same as being identified as a “close contact”), they are not required to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and wear a mask indoors for 14 days following their exposure. Testing every two to three days is also recommended. Use the Daily Wellness Check to report exposure and our COVID-19 Wellness Team will guide you on the next steps.

Does Northeastern provide contact tracing for close contacts?

While Northeastern does provide contact tracing on the Boston Campus, due to the uptick of cases with the Omicron Variant, these services will be limited. Throughout the pandemic, our contact tracing team has worked closely with local and state public health authorities to notify those who fit the definition of close contact about their exposure.

If I tell contact tracers who I was around when I was infectious, will those people find out I have COVID-19?

If Northeastern’s contact tracing team identifies any close contacts after you receive a positive test result, the contact tracing team will follow up with close contacts to inform them that they were exposed, that they should begin to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19, and that they should quarantine if they are unvaccinated. Contact tracers will never share any identifying information about you with close contacts, including your name, relationship to the close contact, and place or the exact time of exposure.

Am I required to report if I know of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19?

Northeastern medical providers and contact tracers keep all information confidential, as required by HIPAA and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To encourage cooperation with efforts to reduce COVID-19 and avoid retaliation and stigma, we ask that all community members who learn of a positive COVID-19 test do not disclose this information to others. The Northeastern testing center and all other COVID-19 testing labs automatically report positive results to the state’s Department of Public Health.

Telehealth

What do Tufts Medical Center telehealth services cover?

Tufts Medical Center provides only COVID-19 related telehealth services, including triaging students who report COVID-19 symptoms through the Daily Wellness Check, and checking in regularly with any student who tests positive for COVID-19. Any questions related to other Northeastern health services should be directed to University Health Counseling Services. Questions about COVID-19 campus operations should be directed to NUCovid19Qs@northeastern.edu.

Are Tufts Medical Center telehealth services covered by a students’ private insurance or by Northeastern?

Tufts Medical Center will provide COVID-19 related telehealth services to our student community in Boston, including triaging students who report COVID-19 symptoms through the Daily Wellness Check and checking in regularly with any student who tests positive for COVID-19. The cost of these telehealth services is covered by Northeastern at no charge to the student or to their insurance. If a student needs in-person care at a hospital or another health care provider, they would need to submit their insurance info to the health care provider for coverage. Students are welcome to get their in-person care at Tufts Medical Center but may choose to go elsewhere if another health care provider is in-network.