Health and Safety

SF State has created a health screening process available to all campus community members.

Complete the daily health screening: 

If you fail the health screening, please do not visit campus and stay home. 

Learn more about how daily screening is a useful strategy for preventing and reducing the transmission of COVID-19. 

Stay home if you are sick. 

If you develop any COVID symptoms, stay home and follow SFDPH guidelines on testing and monitoring of symptoms before returning to work.

The Chancellor Office has developed safety training modules for all faculty, staff and student assistants prior to returning to campus for in-person work in accordance with Cal/OSHA regulations. 

• Employees and student assistants must complete "COVID-19 Workplace Safety Refresher" by logging into CSU Learn. This training module consists of two courses: Safety in the Workplace During COVID-19 and SFSU-specific COVID-19 Information. 

Contact sfehs@sfsu.edu for questions or technical support.

Utilize resources available on Testing and Contact Tracing.

More vaccination information can be found on the Vaccination section of this website.

Our campus will continue embracing a culture of hand hygiene:

• Bathrooms will be supplied with adequate handwashing soap and water with consistent monitoring by custodial staff.
• Hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol will be made available for faculty, staff and students within their departments to use in the event that soap and water are not available.
• Hand sanitizing stations are available in building hallways. 
• Classrooms are provided with sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer. 
• Signage will be posted throughout the campus and buildings in highly visible areas to encourage handwashing. 

Please refer to CDC’s Hand washing: Clean Hands Save Lives.

SF State is committed to keeping our campus community informed of campus COVID-19 cases, which can be viewed on our COVID-19 exposure notification page. SF State does not publicly disclose individual positive tests to protect the privacy of our community members. 

Tracking COVID-19 cases on campus will remain a critical aspect of ensuring and promoting the health and safety of our campus community. If you would like to report a COVID-19 case, please use one of the following methods:

The following are recommended options for responding to observed non-compliance:

1. Social/casual intervention: This is a respectful reminder between campus community members and is the preferred method to address non-compliance with health and safety measures.
   • If an individual refuses to comply with health and safety standards, including wearing a face covering, employees should safely address the situation by: 1) courteously deferring the service or interaction; 2) not escalating the situation; and 3) asking for guidance from others, including their supervisor and/or HR, and referring the situation to their supervisor for handling.
2. Reporting via online portal: This option allows the campus community to report observed non-compliance anonymously via the Campus Comeback: Report an Issue tool. The feedback will be checked daily by a Budget & Logistics committee member. All feedback will be sent to the appropriate office for review. The more information that is provided, the better we will be able to address the concerns reported.
3. Immediate intervention: If a situation requires immediate attention due to a health or safety threat and/or emergency that cannot be addressed by the other reporting options above, the University Police Department should be contacted at (415) 338-2222. Please note that an individual not wearing a mask does not constitute a health or safety threat and/or emergency.

Effective Tuesday, September 6, 2022, SF State strongly recommends masking indoors. The University is moving to masks recommended in alignment with CDC recommendations now that our community has reached the low level of transmission. It is noted that the following areas will continue to require indoor masking: the Student Health Center, the Athletics Training room, Physical Therapy Labs, and Nursing Labs.

A multi-layered face covering means a surgical mask, a medical procedure mask, a respirator worn voluntarily or a tightly woven fabric or non-woven material of at least two layers. A face covering has no visible holes or openings and must cover the nose and mouth. A face covering does not include a scarf, ski mask, balaclava, bandana, turtleneck, collar or single layer of fabric. Exemptions may apply to individuals with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering. These individuals should contact Disability Programs & Resource Center (DPRC) to discuss reasonable accommodations.

Face coverings are not required outdoors. PPE will be distributed by designated individuals in each building during normal business hours, and will be supplied on an ongoing basis. This is a list of building PPE coordinators. For more information, please visit PPE section of the campus return website. 

Please refer to CDC to learn how masks slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Anyone who has tested positive will be required to isolate for 10 days. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators may return to campus and class prior to the 10 days if they test negative at least five days after initial positive test.

Residential students who test positive for COVID-19 or who think they may be positive should contact their RA or Area Coordinator who will provide them guidance for isolating in the residential community. 

If a student, faculty, staff, or administrator in face-to-face classes or operations tests positive, contact tracers will inform those who have been in close contact with the infected person of their potential exposure. (as provided by the infected individual in a timely manner). CDC defines close contacts as anyone who shared the same indoor airspace, e.g., home, classroom, etc., for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during an infected person's (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) Infectious period.

Close contacts should test 3-5 days after last exposure and wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days – especially indoors and when near those at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease. If symptoms develop, individuals should test and stay home and if the test result is positive, follow isolation protocols.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and healthy hygiene and cleaning standards remain in place. SF State maintains an ample supply of general-use and specialty-use masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Facilities Services continues to clean common spaces with upmost care and consistency with CDC guidelines.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a layered approach to reduce exposures to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This approach includes using multiple mitigation strategies, including improvements to building ventilation, to reduce the spread of disease and lower the risk of exposure. In addition to ventilation improvements, the layered approach includes physical distancing, wearing face masks, hand hygiene, and vaccination. (from CDC website)

In addition to following physical distancing, face mask, hand hygiene and vaccination recommendations, SF State has responded to the CDC’s ventilation recommendation by assessing ventilation systems at the building, and when appropriate, room level. When concerns were raised about specific buildings and rooms, Facilities Services and Academic Resources/Space Manage assessed these spaces. Considerations for ventilation in buildings and rooms were subjected to the following decision tree developed by Environmental Health & Safety:

This decision tree allowed Facilities Services and Academic Resources/Space Management to assess buildings and rooms with HVAC systems and without HVAC systems. Facilities Service and Academic Resources/Space Management completed a recent assessment of buildings and rooms. Here are the results of that assessment:

• HVAC systems in buildings with HVAC systems have been upgraded to MERV 13 filters (highest grade compatible with the system); recirculated air passes through the building’s air filters before reentering the system.
• Known and previously communicated issues with windows have been inspected and repaired to increase airflow in all buildings and rooms, including buildings with HVAC systems; outstanding issues will be addressed as they are reported. 
• Facilities Services and Academic Resources/Space Management has distributed HEPA air purifiers for rooms where ventilation and airflow conditions warranted based on the reassessment performed by Facilities Services and Academic Space Management; additional units will be distributed when warranted.

If you have questions or concerns about a specific space please contact the appropriate building coordinator, Academic Resources/Space Management, or Facilities Services (facilities@sfsu.edu).

More information can be found on the Return to Campus FAQ's, Ventilation/HVAC System section.

Disclaimer: The document on this accordion has been identified as having barriers to accessibility. Quality Assurance is working to remediate these accessibility barriers by 11/15/2021. If you experience difficulty in using this document, please contact sfehs@sfsu.edu. 

Although the risk of COVID-19 transmission by touching a contaminated surface is low, SF State has enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols in accordance with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), CDC and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) best practices to further reduce the risk of infection.  

• SF State is utilizing “List N” disinfectants, which are expected to kill SARS-CoV-2, the specific coronavirus that causes COVID-19. 
• SF State will continue cleaning and disinfecting common areas, as well as high-touch surfaces, at least once a day or more frequently as needed. 
• SF State will also provide employees and departments with cleaning supplies.  It is recommended to clean and sanitize personal workspaces often and any shared equipment or surfaces between use by following EPA’s best practices for cleaning and disinfecting and six steps for safe and effective disinfectant use.

Within 24-hours of a newly reported case, a “Notification of Potential Workplace Exposure to COVID-19" email, stripped of all personal information, is distributed to all faculty and staff members.

As we continue to finalize plans for a safe return to campus for fall 2021, notifications for updated safety protocols for the entire campus community will become available and updated on this website.

SF State takes seriously all reports of possible violations of the campus’ health and safety requirements, and all students, faculty and staff are subject to appropriate reminders, warnings and disciplinary actions for failure to comply with these requirements. The preferred method to correct non-compliance with health and safety measures is a respectful reminder between campus community members. The preferred method to correct non-compliance with health and safety measures is a respectful reminder between campus community members.

SF State is committed to working toward racial equality and to preventing profiling of underrepresented populations. We will not investigate reports that identify individuals solely or primarily by race, ethnicity, religion or (presumed) language.

Escalated intervention for repeated non-compliance: If excessive non-compliance with the campus’ COVID-19 health and safety protocols is observed, cases will be referred to the appropriate authority, as detailed below:

• Students: Incidents involving students will be directed to the Dean of Students.
• Faculty: Incidents involving faculty members will be directed to the Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development.
• Staff and Administrators: Incidents involving staff or administrators will be directed to the Associate Vice President of Human Resources.
• External Parties: External parties may include visitors, contractors, or vendors. All external parties must have a host, or sponsoring department. Sponsoring departments are responsible for ensuring external parties are in compliance with SF State health and safety protocols. Incidents involving external parties will be directed to the sponsoring department.

When worn properly, personal protective equipment (PPE) is helpful  in minimizing exposure to physical, chemical or biological hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. PPE includes items such as multi-layered face covering, gloves, hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes and much more. To learn more, please refer to "FDA Insight: Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19".

PPE Key Principles

• Arrive to campus with your facemask.
• May use re-usable, washable cloth facemask.
• Available PPE is intended for use on campus.
• Protect the environment and take only what you need.
• Be respectful of our need to maintain a continuous supply for everyone.

How do I get PPE on campus?

PPE will be distributed bydesignated individuals in each building during normal business hours, and will be supplied on an ongoing basis. For any PPE-related questions, please contact a Building PPE Coordinator. Michael Scott will be the main point of contact for PPE Coordinators in Academic Buildings. Buildings who have Cintas Safety Centers will be managed and maintained directly by Cintas.

¹ Student Housing Buildings include Student Housing Office, University Park North, Manzanita Square, Towers at Centennial Square, Mary Ward Hall, and Village at Centennial Square.

On September 2, 2022, SF State announced that it would align its masking protocols with the CDC’s community transmission level for San Francisco. This decision was made in consultation with the University’s pandemic planning group which includes staff, faculty, students and administrators. While San Francisco remains in the low level of community transmission, SF State will strongly recommend indoor masking. Please know that should San Francisco return to the “high” or “medium” levels of community transmission, SF State will require masking indoors.

For performers (musicians, singers, dancers, and actors) masks are recommended when not on stage or performing.

* Performances include rehearsals and instruction led by an SF State faculty instructor.

Eating and drinking indoors

Eating and drinking is not permitted in instructional settings including classrooms, academic building hallways, and academic building common spaces. Conference rooms, meeting spaces, breakrooms, and individual offices (in faculty, staff, and administrator settings) may be used for eating and drinking.

Indoor Dining: Library's tables near Peet's, Cesar Chavez Student Center, Housing (Sodexo) Dining Venues

Indoor dining in the Library's tables near Peet's, Cesar Chavez Student Center, and in Housing’s Sodexo dining venues are open to the general public. These dining locations are considered commercial spaces. Individual and shared meals are permitted in these specific locations. SF State Community members should make sure their colleagues feel safe (don’t assume) when eating and drinking in indoor spaces.

SF State has opened its 1600 Holloway Avenue campus indoor spaces for conferences, events, and meetings. This includes conferences, events, meetings and celebratory events hosted by external organizations and internal divisions, departments, and organizations.

Conferences, events, and meetings held outdoors remain the best alternative: There are no physical distancing and face coverings requirements outdoors. If refreshments are served, care should be taken by leadership to ensure safe provision of food and beverages.

For the updated health & safety requirements and guidance, please visit the Building & Available Spaces page.