To protect public health and safety, the University of Houston adheres to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting when a person diagnosed or tested positive for COVID-19 has been on campus.

The cleaning after a positive diagnosis protocol is in addition to the normal and enhanced cleaning practices employed by the University.

Protocol

1. Case is Reported
   Individual self-reports his or her positive COVID-19 status to the University through the online Reporting COVID-19 Diagnosis form.

   Note: Users are encouraged to input complete and accurate building names and room numbers so that the areas can be found and cleaned promptly. Failure to do so may delay the process.

2. UH Facilities Services is Notified
   If the individual has been on campus within the last 7 days, University of Houston Facilities Services (FS) is automatically notified to begin the cleaning after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis protocol.

   Note: FS receives positive COVID-19 case notifications 24-7. Notifications received after business hours and on weekends are acted upon as quickly as possible. However, they may experience a delay in the execution of the protocols if additional details or location information is needed.

   In accordance with CDC guidelines, if the individual’s date of last activity in a facility was greater than 7 days, no additional cleaning or disinfection is required. Learn more about the CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facilities guidelines.

3. Affected Areas are Identified and Closed
   FS contacts the designated building coordinator(s) to schedule cleaning of the spaces and dispatches technicians to place appropriate signage and secure the area. In some cases, departments notified of a potential positive COVID-19 case may have already secured the area.

   • FS may request assistance from the building coordinator to identify the room or spaces that need cleaning and disinfection when the location information is unclear.
   • The building coordinators will notify the point of contact responsible for the spaces that will be closed for cleaning. 

4. Professional Cleaning Crew is Deployed
   FS schedules the COVID-19 cleaning contractor, and the area is cleaned and disinfected per CDC cleaning guidelines. If the person with COVID-19’s last activity on campus occurred within less than 24 hours, the contractor waits at least 24 hours before entering for cleaning, per CDC recommendations.

   The cleaning contractor is a professional cleaning agency that specializes in disaster response cleanups and CDC protocols for COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection.

5. Affected Areas are Reopened
   After cleaning, the area is given a one-hour settling period to ensure the efficacy of the cleaning and disinfection solutions. Following the one-hour settling period, FS removes the signage and the area is reopened for use. The designated building coordinator is notified.

Contact Us

For questions regarding COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure protocols, please contact the UH COVID-19 Coordinator at covid19coordinator@uh.edu or the UH COVID-19 Case Support Help Desk at 832-842-6843.