Healthy Restart FAQs Answered Aug. 19 for UK Faculty, Staff and Students
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2020) — As University of Kentucky returns to in-session classes, the university continues to field questions related to specific elements of the campus restart plan. Below are three of the questions most commonly asked by university faculty and staff.
Q: Have any changes been made to the holiday schedule for the 2020-21 academic year?
A: Yes. Campus staff working on the Labor Day holiday may take the holiday later, up through Dec. 31, 2020, to accommodate the compressed academic calendar necessary for the COVID-19 response.
And we will, for the first time, observe Juneteenth as an annual holiday in commemoration of when the final enslaved Black men and women were freed in 1865. (Juneteenth is on June 19 each year; for UK, we will observe the holiday on Friday, June 18, 2021, because the holiday falls on a weekend).
View a complete list of changes here.
Q: If you test positive, do you use sick days, or can you work from home?
A: If you feel well enough to work but a health care provider or public health official directs you to self-isolate or quarantine, check with your supervisor about working remotely during this period. We encourage supervisors to be flexible and think about viable work that could be performed remotely for a short time, even if it differs from an employee’s typical duties. If work is not able to be performed remotely or you don’t feel well enough to work, an employee may use accrued sick leave. You may also be eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave.
Q: If you test positive, what if you don’t have sick days?
A: If a health care provider or public health official directs you to self-isolate or quarantine, and you have no accrued sick leave, you may be eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave. We encourage you to contact HR Employee Relations at 859-257-8758 to discuss your leave options.
If employees feel well enough to work, we encourage supervisors to be flexible and think about viable work that could be performed remotely for a short time, even if it differs from an employee’s typical duties.
As of Aug. 15, of the 17,285 students tested, Wild Health reported 189 positive cases and a 1.1% positivity rate on campus. To see updated results from student testing, visit: www.uky.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-testing-results.
For more information related to University of Kentucky's COVID-19 response and restart plan, visit www.uky.edu/coronavirus/, including more FAQs at www.uky.edu/coronavirus/employees/employee-faqs.
Each day UK will be providing some of the most frequently asked questions from students, faculty and staff and answering them as we start the new semester. If you have questions you would like to see answered, please email coronavirus@uky.edu. We will continue to answer those on an individual basis, but may also include them in UKNOW. Thanks and stay safe and healthy.