Campus Safety Status Levels
The university is continually monitoring key indicators of campus status. We intend
to determine the level of operations for classes, housing, research and other events
and activities weekly. This information will be updated as changes occur.
This staged process gives the university the ability to evaluate and quickly deploy
strategies to increase personal and campus safety and reduce the spread of COVID-19
on campus and in the surrounding community.
The campus alert levels begin at "new normal" functioning and they progress through more
restrictive measures which, at the highest level, could result in a closing of the
campus. Campus changes in each level may include shifts between online and in-person
classes, class size densities, on-campus housing availability and expanded or reduced
research. Policies for campus guests and organized social activities may also require
more mitigation measures based on the campus status.
Each alert level corresponds to a numerical range that represents the average score
of the 11 factors used to monitor campus conditions.
Status Alert Levels

Alert Level: New Normal (0.00-0.50)
Campus is fully open under ‘new normal’ conditions with primary risk mitigation measures
in effect
Follow recommended COVID-19 prevention strategies (e.g., hand washing, physical distancing, wear a face covering)

Alert Level 1: Low (0.51-1.50)
Campus open fully or partially with additional, elevated risk mitigation measures
in place in targeted areas
Increase efforts to limit your personal exposure by reducing group interactions and
increasing surface/environment cleaning

Alert Level 2: Moderate (1.51-2.50)
Campus open partially, with additional, elevated risk mitigation measures in place
throughout campus
Limit everyday activities to increase safety. (Note: There is a potential for temporary
restrictions in certain areas of campus where there are known cases.)

Alert Level 3: High (2.51-3.00)
Campus activity is limited; significant alterations to academic and student support
operations; a potential shift to virtual delivery of education
Take strong measures to limit all contact. (Note: There is a potential for the reduction
of the campus population due to a broader outbreak.)
Campus Condition Factors
Campus status indicators include:
- Campus Testing – Availability, capacity and turnaround time for all forms of COVID testing for students,
faculty and staff.
- Contact Tracing – The ability of campus health team to contact trace all of those exposed to newly
identified cases among students, faculty and staff within 48hrs.
- Isolation and Quarantine Capacity – A measure of the available of on-campus beds for isolation and quarantine.
- Environmental Monitoring – The capacity to conduct early detection to identify COVID spikes and focus specific
mitigation strategies to areas of outbreak.
- Campus Case Burden – The levels at which active campus cases triggers increased health and safety measures.
- Infection Prevention Supplies – The availability and distribution of items such as face coverings, hand sanitizer,
and cleaning supplies.
- Campus Health Center Capacity – The availability of UofSC health care facilities, staff and equipment needed to
provide quality physical and mental health care to the campus community.
- Community Health Center Capacity – The availability of regional health care facilities, staff and equipment needed
to provide quality physical and mental health care for the Midlands and for South
Carolina in general.
- Mitigation Behaviors – Compliance by students, faculty and staff with behaviors intended to reduce the
spread of COVID, to include wearing of face coverings, maintaining social (physical)
distance, and frequent hand washing.
- Campus Impact on Operations – The presence and impact of COVID on the availability of the campus workforce, facilities,
supplies and the impact of adverse weather/natural disasters on existing resources.
- Community Impact on Operations – The presence and impact of COVID on the Midlands and the impact of adverse weather/natural
disasters on the community’s ability to respond to those challenges.
The University Emergency Management Team, with direct assistance and advice from the
Arnold School of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Nursing, the
School of Medicine and Student Health Services, provides daily updates to the president
and cabinet to enable timely and data-driven decisions and guidance. These decisions
and guidance will be reviewed regularly by the Future Planning Group, deans and vice presidents for awareness, input and implementation.