Confirmed COVID-19 cases at McMaster: November 19
The university has been notified of two unrelated confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus.
One involves an employee with an external company who tested positive on Nov. 19 and immediately notified the university. The individual was last on campus on Nov. 16, in several areas of the Nuclear Research Building.
The other confirmed case involves a student who spent time at the warehouse building at McMaster Innovation Park on Nov. 17 and 18.
All pertinent areas of both buildings are being thoroughly cleaned.
Any contact tracing required is being managed by public health authorities. They will be directly contacting anyone who would be part of the tracing for this case.
McMaster has developed comprehensive protocols for any reported confirmed case of COVID-19. These have been developed in accordance with public health guidelines and include creation of a university rapid response team which coordinates all cleaning and follow up that is required.
McMaster COVID-19 protocols
When the university is notified that someone is awaiting test results and has been on campus, the areas where the person had been on campus in the previous 72 hours are cleaned. In the majority of cases the test results have been negative. If a test result is later confirmed, additional cleaning may also occur out of an abundance of caution.
The university communicates a confirmed case to the McMaster community when it is informed of a positive test result.
All McMaster students, faculty and staff are reminded to use the new self-reporting tool in Mosaic to report a confirmed COVID-19 test result or close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. This tool is confidential and helps the university track confirmed cases on campus and ensure appropriate cleaning and safety protocols are put into place promptly.
Before anyone comes to a McMaster facility
The university protocols require all students, faculty and staff to complete a COVID-19 screening tool assessment within one hour of any expected arrival and to follow the advice the screening tool provides.
All employees and students who have a need to be on campus must also complete a mandatory online training module in advance of attending a McMaster facility. The training link is available on Mosaic.
If you feel ill, please do not attend a McMaster facility and you are encouraged to seek medical advice. More detailed information on reporting is available at the links below.
