FAQ

Symptoms of the virus are similar to those of a respiratory illness: fever, cough, shortness of breath, and loss of taste or smell. General treatment for this virus is supportive care as needed.

Prevention of infection is key. Public health officials and medical experts believe vaccination is an important step in helping to prevent or lessen the effects of this illness and its potentially devastating consequences. COVID-19 can be a mild illness in some or lead to severe disease or even death in previously healthy people. Additionally, long-term complications of COVID-19 remain unknown.

Student Health Centers can provide health care services for current students. Please call the health centers on your campus. Students may contact Rutgers Student Health to make an appointment:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick
  • Call 848-932-7402
  • Locations and hours can be found at health.rutgers.edu/locations.
  • Make an appointment online via our Patient Portal (requires NetID)
  • Local Hospitals
    • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: 732-828-3000
    • St. Peter’s University Hospital: 732-745-8600
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
  • Newark: 973-972-8219
  • New Brunswick: 732-235-5160
• Rutgers–Newark
  • Call 973-353-5232
  • Visit Blumenthal Hall, Room 104
  • Email stuhlth@newark.rutgers.edu
• Rutgers–Camden
  • Call 856-225-6005
  • Visit the Campus Center, second floor

Employees and students who test positive for COVID-19 and are physically on campus or in Rutgers facilities should contact Occupational Health and Student Health directly to report the case and seek guidance.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 (via PCR or antigen test), regardless of whether they have symptoms, should follow the advice provided from the CDC calculator, inform their campus Student Health office of positive test results if they live in campus housing, and follow up with their personal physician/urgent care. Students living on campus in university housing are urged to return home for isolation whenever possible.

Rutgers Student Health offices by location:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick
  • Call 848-932-7402
  • Locations and hours can be found at health.rutgers.edu/locations.
  • Make an appointment online via our Patient Portal (requires NetID)
  • Local Hospitals
    • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: 732-828-3000
    • St. Peter’s University Hospital: 732-745-8600
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
  • Newark: 973-972-8219
  • New Brunswick: 732-235-5160
• Rutgers–Newark
  • Call 973-353-5232
  • Visit Blumenthal Hall, Room 104
  • Email stuhlth@newark.rutgers.edu
• Rutgers–Camden
  • Call 856-225-6005
  • Visit the Campus Center, second floor

Rutgers Occupational Health offices by location:

• Rutgers University: New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden: 848-932-8254
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) Newark: 973-972-2900
• RBHS New Brunswick/Piscataway: 848-445-0123 ext. 2
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Faculty and Staff: 732-235-6559

Testing is available. View up-to-date testing requirements and guidance by visiting the Rutgers testing strategy webpage.

 

You should isolate. If you were tested outside of Rutgers, please upload your test results to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire. If you were tested through Rutgers testing program you will be contacted by a Student Health administrator and provided guidance.
If you need further guidance or medical care, please contact your appropriate Student Health office (see below).

Camden: 856-225-6005

Newark: 973-353-5232

New Brunswick: 848-932-7402

RBHS – Newark: 973-972-8219

RBHS – New Brunswick/Piscataway: 732-235-5160

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation. All students with COVID-19 or who have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations provided by the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.

 

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation. All employees and students with COVID-19 or who have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations provided by the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.

The CDC always recommends a yearly flu shot as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses and hospitalizations on the health care system and conserve medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19.

Flu shots are available at local pharmacies and through your primary care provider. Please visit the State of New Jersey’s flu webpage to find more information.

Students
The Rutgers Student Immunizations and Health Requirements policy (10.3.13) requires students who work directly with patients, or who handle material that could spread infection, to have a flu vaccination.

Students with a valid RU ID can obtain flu shots at Student Health. Contact your student health office for details.

To make an appointment with Rutgers Student Health:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick
  • Call 848-932-7402
  • Locations and hours can be found at health.rutgers.edu/locations.
  • Make an appointment online via our Patient Portal (requires NetID)
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
  • Newark: 973-972-8219
  • New Brunswick: 732-235-5160
• Rutgers–Newark
  • Call 973-353-5232
  • Visit Blumenthal Hall, Room 104
  • Email: stuhlth@newark.rutgers.edu
• Rutgers–Camden
  • Call 856-225-6005
  • Visit the Campus Center, second floor

Employees

Flu shots are available at local pharmacies and through your primary care provider. Please visit the State of New Jersey’s flu webpage to learn more.

Rutgers is open and operating.

Refer to your campus operating status page for updates.

• Rutgers University–New Brunswick
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
• Rutgers University–Newark
• Rutgers University–Camden

Rutgers Global provides Global Travel Resources with updates, advisories, and useful resources for international students and scholars.

Library building hours, policies, and service availability vary by location. Check the operating status of your campus libraries.

 

 

Find hours and details at:

Rutgers–New Brunswick Computer Labs

Rutgers–Newark Computer Labs

Rutgers–Camden Computer Labs

Computer Labs for RBHS Students

 

Help with technology issues or questions is available from the Office of Information Technology Help Desk.

The Office of Information Technology has developed technology recommendations for Rutgers students. Find details at: https://it.rutgers.edu/computer-recommendations-for-rutgers-students/.

 

Face coverings are required in all indoor teaching spaces, libraries, and clinical settings. Compliance is mandatory.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 (via PCR or antigen test), regardless of whether they have symptoms, should follow the advice provided from the CDC calculator, inform their campus Student Health office of positive test results if they live in campus housing, and follow up with their personal physician/urgent care. Students living on campus in university housing are urged to return home for isolation whenever possible.

Camden: 856-225-6005

Newark: 973-353-5232

New Brunswick: 848-932-7402

RBHS – Newark: 973-972-8219

RBHS – NB/Piscataway: 732-235-5160

 

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation. All students with COVID-19 or who have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations provided by the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 (via PCR or antigen test), regardless of whether they have symptoms, should follow the advice provided from the CDC calculator, inform their campus Student Health office of positive test results if they live in campus housing, and follow up with their personal physician/urgent care. Students living on campus in university housing are urged to return home for isolation whenever possible.

Student Health Contact Information

Camden: 856-225-6005

Newark: 973-353-5232

New Brunswick: 848-932-7402

RBHS – Newark: 973-972-8219

RBHS – NB/Piscataway: 732-235-5160

 

Food Assistance
The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) has made it easier for college students to access food assistance during the public health emergency. Students aged 18 to 49 who are enrolled at least half time at an institution of higher education or business, technical, trade, or vocational school that requires a high school diploma may be eligible for food assistance through New Jersey’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education provides a flyer [PDF] with additional details on eligibility.

Student Food Pantries on Campus
Camden
Newark
New Brunswick

Faculty should not inform the entire class that a student tested positive for COVID-19 or was exposed. They should direct the student to contact Student Health.

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation. All students with COVID-19 or who have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations provided by the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 (via PCR or antigen test), regardless of whether they have symptoms, should follow the advice provided from the CDC calculator, inform their campus Student Health office of positive test results if they live in campus housing, and follow up with their personal physician/urgent care.

Faculty should instruct the student to contact Student Health to inform them of the test result. Faculty should not inform any other colleagues or students of the student’s test result. Rutgers Contact Tracers will inform those colleagues or students deemed at-risk.

Student Health Contact Information

Camden: 856-225-6005

Newark: 973-353-5232

New Brunswick: 848-932-7402

RBHS – Newark: 973-972-8219

RBHS – NB/Piscataway: 732-235-5160

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation. All students with COVID-19 or who have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations provided by the Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.

Transition to remote learning would be a universitywide determination communicated broadly by university administration.

No

No

Faculty who are working on campus should stay home if they test positive, and inform their campus Occupational Health office below:

Rutgers Faculty in Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden – 848-932-8254

RBHS Newark Faculty – 973-972-2900

RBHS New Brunswick Faculty – 848-445-6200

RWJMS Faculty – 732-235-6559

The Centers for Disease Control offers an interactive Quarantine and Isolation Calculator that provides valuable information and guidance for individuals with COVID-19 and for those who have had close contact with an infected person. The CDC tool provides guidance on face coverings, testing, and isolation.

Faculty who are vaccinated will only be authorized to test if they are considered a close contact of an infected student or colleague, and are instructed to test by Rutgers’ Contact Tracers.

Unvaccinated Faculty should be testing weekly as part of the University’s Testing Program and in accordance with State requirements. See the COVID-19 Testing Strategy page for more information.

No

At this time, the campus surveillance testing program is only testing unvaccinated students and employees, and university-affiliated close contacts of infected students and employees.

Students who are vaccinated are being tested if they are a close contact of an infected student or employee, or if they have possible COVID-19 symptoms and are directed by Student Health to test.

Students should be instructed to:

• not report to class,
• isolate in their dorms or at home, and
• inform Student Health of their test result.

The Office of Information Technology offers a Return to Rutgers Tech Checklist as a webpage and downloadable PDF.

The university’s relaxation on the telecommuting policy is as follows:

• extended until August 31, 2022, the relaxation of Section II (A) of Policy 60.3.22 Alternative Work Arrangements and Telecommuting for Regularly Appointed Staff with regard to who is eligible to telecommute. All other policy provisions are no longer relaxed.
• you may also login to OneSource and select the COVID-19 Related Services option in the catalog for more details.

On June 23, 2022, President Holloway endorsed the short- and long-term recommendations of the Future of Work Task Force with an immediate focus on the implementation of a new flexible work arrangement pilot program and caregiver support options for Rutgers employees. Beginning on September 1, 2022, through August 31, 2023, Rutgers will launch the FlexWork@RU Pilot Program to expand the current flexible work arrangement offerings available to employees and roll out a new caregiver support program.

You should contact OneSource and forward appropriate medical documentation confirming the diagnosis within five (5) business days of your initial absence. You should also let your supervisor know that you will be absent due to illness, but you are not required to disclose your medical diagnosis to your supervisor.

Diagnosed employees are advised to stay home and follow medical direction regarding treatment. Follow the recommendations of the CDC’s Quarantine and Isolation Calculator for COVID infection and exposure.

Employees who test positive for COVID-19 and are physically on campus or in Rutgers facilities should contact Occupational Health directly to report the case and seek guidance.

Rutgers Occupational Health offices by location:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick, Rutgers–Newark, and Rutgers–Camden: 848-932-8254
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) Newark: 973-972-2900
• RBHS New Brunswick/Piscataway and University Correctional Health Care: 848-445-0123 ext. 2
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School faculty and staff: 732-235-6559

The university is open and operating.

 

 

If an employee is showing flu-like symptoms (e.g., fever above 100.4ºF, cough and/or sore throat, body aches, headache, chills) or symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath) their supervisor should direct them to leave work. If the employee appears too ill to drive, the supervisor may offer to call a family member to pick them up. If the employee asks for an ambulance or appears very ill, the supervisor should call an ambulance.

Contact Occupational Health directly to report the case and seek guidance.

Rutgers Occupational Health offices by location:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick, Rutgers–Newark, and Rutgers–Camden: 848-932-8254
• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) Newark: 973-972-2900
• RBHS New Brunswick/Piscataway and University Correctional Health Care: 848-445-0123 ext. 2
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School faculty and staff: 732-235-6559

 

If an employee refuses to go home, the supervisor may call Occupational Health (OH) and transfer the call to the employee for discussion with a physician or nurse. After a discussion with the employee, OH will advise both employee and the supervisor whether the employee will go home and the expected duration of absence. OH will also provide direction to the employee about when to return to work.

No. The supervisor should inform their local Occupational Health Office and they will provide guidance on the matter.