Questions & Answers About the Program

Yes, the ordinary expectations for academics’ work location to be the UC San Diego campus will apply again, as of Fall 2021.

Please refer to Phase II of the “return to campus” plan.

If an employee requires health and/or ADA accommodation for their work (e.g., to teach remotely for health/ADA reasons), then they should follow the usual accommodation process, including submission of appropriate documentation from a medical provider. The employee initiates this interactive process by reaching out to the Disability Counseling and Consulting division of Human Resources. For more information, see the APS page on Academic Leaves & Accommodations.

Academics are expected to be in residence in Fall 2021; the ordinary policies regarding work location (PPM 230-10 Section II.M) will apply. Any academic who, due to the requirements of their work duties, needs to work from elsewhere will need to request a Change of Work Location through the standard process (referenced in PPM 230-10). A typical example of work duties requiring a “Change of Work Location” might be field work that must be done at an off-campus location.

We recognize that faculty and instructional assistants may have a variety of reasons for seeking permission to offer remote instruction in Fall 2021 and that not all of these may fall under the usual health/ADA accommodation process. In these cases, we encourage the individual to speak with their department chair, since course modality will be determined by the academic program and requests to use outdoor classrooms for in-person instruction will be made by the academic program to the Registrar.

Yes. Regardless of vaccination status, everyone must mask indoors.

Exceptions include:

• Persons younger than two years old.
• Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication or persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.

No, masking is required for all students and employees indoors regardless of vaccination status, and also serves as a significant safeguard (physical or psychological). If the nature of your curriculum requires individuals not to wear masks (e.g., certain kinds of language or musical instruction), this expectation should be clearly communicated to your department chair and students from the beginning. Outdoor classrooms will still be available during 2021-22 and these may be a useful option for certain courses.

The University of California approved a policy that requires all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they will be allowed on campus or in a facility or office. Individuals must show proof of vaccination two weeks before they are expected to be on campus for the fall term. Unvaccinated individuals with approved exceptions and/or accommodations should follow all campus safety protocols, including masking and regular asymptomatic testing.

Classrooms will return to standard occupancy levels. Physical distancing protocols for campus have ended, unless an area or group is specifically directed otherwise.

In Fall 2021, most courses will be held only in the in-person modality. In some cases, an academic program may determine that specific remote sections will be offered to support international students whose arrival is delayed by visa or travel restrictions, or accommodate specific faculty needs. However, not every course will be offered remotely or in hybrid form. The UC San Diego advising community has collaboratively identified a list of courses that would have the most impact on the population of affected students and will share this information with academic units as a planning resource.

No. While a subset of courses will have remote or hybrid offerings in order to accommodate international students whose arrival is delayed by visa or travel restrictions; most classes will be in-person only. Decisions about how to best serve affected students are up to the individual academic program. In some cases, the class may be taught as a hybrid, in others it may be split into two separate sections, each using a different modality. Students with exceptional circumstances may seek assistance through the usual processes for accommodation; faculty are familiar with providing specific arrangements for individuals in their classes.

Yes. We are carefully monitoring the visa situation and making adjustments to our plans in order to ensure that these students are provided options that will enable them to make academic progress at UC San Diego. In some cases that may require students to make adjustments to their academic plans in consultation with their academic advisor; for instance, they might need to change the sequence in which they take certain courses. We urge all students with potential visa complications to communicate with their advisors and through the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) about their needs. We will make more specific announcements about which courses are available in remote or hybrid format in August 2021.

The UC San Diego Policy on Distance Education Courses states: “A course will be considered a Distance Education course if (for some or all students) less than 50% of student-instructor interaction time was designed to occur face-to-face (meaning physically in the same room).” Therefore, in a normal course (non-R-designated) an instructor may opt to provide either synchronous or asynchronous remote content to suit their instructional needs, provided they do not exceed the 50% upper limit on non-face-to-face interaction. From a practical perspective, this means that instructors have flexibility in how they teach and may augment their classes with remote content to suit varied instructional circumstances.

The Academic Senate manages academic policies such as the distance education policy. For Fall 2021, the Academic Senate has granted a blanket exception enabling any course to be taught remotely without needing to make a special request to the Senate or create an R-course. This blanket exception provides academic programs with the requisite flexibility to accommodate students affected by visa or travel restrictions or particular faculty needs in our first primarily in-person quarter. In order to ensure that everyone has meaningful insight into what Fall conditions and student needs are before making final determinations regarding modality, programs have to wait until July 1 before switching in-person courses to remote or scheduling new remote sections of non-R courses.

Applying for an R-course designation implies an intent to design a course to be offered fully online over a longer term. Implementing a proper R-course typically implies a 6-month design and implementation cycle working closely with the Teaching & Learning Commons. Such an investment in time and resources should only be undertaken if an academic unit truly plans for this course to be offered online as part of a long-term vision.

Our outdoor classrooms are an asset for the whole UC San Diego community and open up both new opportunities for innovative teaching, as well as safer options for certain types of classes. We will prioritize the use of outdoor classrooms for classes that uniquely benefit from that setting, especially those that are more difficult to conduct safely indoors in the fall. Please work with your department scheduler to request these classrooms if you feel they are the right option for you.

Yes, the library, study spaces, computer labs and more will be back in person in the fall (though some may also offer some remote services in parallel). These spaces will operate in accordance with County/State/CDC and other campus guidelines and we presently anticipate that they will be open at ordinary occupancy along with classrooms. If you have a need to use these spaces as part of your course, we encourage you to reach out to the appropriate unit so they can plan accordingly.

Tuition and fees are set by the Regents for all UC campuses. Tuition and fees have been set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for any part of the Academic Year.

• July 1 – July 9: Departmental request for course modality changes are processed upon being received.
• July 12 – Aug 5: Continuing students potentially making adjustments, departments monitor enrollment adjustments.
• Aug 6: Continuing students can no longer access WebReg. Departments adjust enrollment limits to release seats for new students.
• Aug 7: New students can view the schedule of classes for available seats.
• Aug 16 – Aug 23: New student enrollment.
• Aug 24: No Enrollment. Departments adjust enrollment limits as needed. The Auto Waitlist process resumes.
• Aug 25: Open enrollment for all students, resume processing instructor requests to remote as needed.

Any of the following that are unrelated to a chronic condition: Cough, shortness of breath, fever, fatigue or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

All UC San Diego staff, faculty and student employees who are reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location for work must conduct a daily symptom and exposure screening for COVID-19 and report any symptoms. The symptom and exposure screening tool can be accessed from a computer or mobile device. If you are unable to access the internet, you should call your supervisor/work lead/check-in person in advance of going to work on-site. Your supervisor will be notified daily of your work status. If you have severe symptoms, you should call 911.

Employees who are working remotely in the San Diego region, are also strongly encouraged to conduct the daily self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms and report any symptoms.

All students who are currently on campus or plan to physically come to campus are expected to complete the screening daily. The rest of the student population is highly encouraged to fill out the screening daily in order to carefully self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.

Learn more on the Testing and Screening page.

Students in the SD region: Call Student Health Services at 858-534-3300 for consultation. Stay at home until you have received guidance, which may include testing for COVID-19. Tests can be completed at no cost to students at Student Health Services or UC San Diego Health locations, regardless of healthcare provider.

Students outside of the SD region: Call your healthcare provider. Stay at home until you have received guidance, which may include testing for COVID-19.

Remote employees: If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and you report them in the daily symptom and exposure screening tool, you will be contacted by the dedicated COVID Nurses line. You may also contact them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you with determining if you should be tested. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees at UC San Diego Health locations. You may also choose to visit your own healthcare provider for testing.

On-site employees: If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not report to your worksite. You will be contacted by the dedicated COVID Nurses line. You may contact them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you with determining if you should be tested. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees at UC San Diego Health locations. You may also choose to visit your own healthcare provider for testing.

If you are at a UC San Diego worksite and you develop symptoms, you should retake the symptom screening immediately and call the dedicated COVID Nurses line at 619-543-8260 to speak with a healthcare professional who will assist you with determining if you should be tested. You will be sent home by your supervisor. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees at UC San Diego Health locations. You may also choose to visit your own healthcare provider for testing.

Learn more on the Testing and Screening page.

The current plan is for the online health screening survey to remain a web app. However, the web app (website) is mobile friendly so staff can just favorite the website or add the website on their phone home screen.

CA COVID Notify, published by the State of California, uses the Exposure Notifications System from Google and Apple to alert you when you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. It will quickly notify you if you’ve likely been exposed, allowing you to seek medical attention and reduce risk for your loved ones. Additional information about the program and instructions on how to download the app can be found here.

Following the science from our faculty and researchers and under the guidance of federal and state agencies, our weekly asymptomatic testing requirement for those who have been fully vaccinated has been lifted. Students, faculty and staff coming to campus who have been fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose of vaccine) are no longer required to test weekly.

Symptomatic testing will remain available for students, faculty and staff. If you become symptomatic after vaccination, get tested. Our continued vigilance is important to the overall health of our campus community.

In most cases, the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) covers students and dependents if they meet the medical criteria for COVID-19 testing. To learn more about your individual situation or for more information on SHIP, please contact Student Health Services at 858-534-3300.

We're working closely with the county and state to ensure that all of our activities are in alignment with their recommendations, their orders, and their policies. This is occurring on a number of levels, including the testing that we provide and the symptom screening, as well as the sanitation and other activities on campus to reduce the transmission risk. We're really working hand in hand to ensure that we are following guidelines but also enhancing them with our own understanding of how we can better target and reduce risk on campus and identify outbreaks early.

Do not come to work on-site. Your supervisor will be notified that you received a red thumb for the day. Work with your supervisor to determine next steps. If you are scheduled to work remotely and if you feel well enough to work, you can still engage in work. UC San Diego Health’s Testing Support Line will contact you to determine if a COVID-19 test needs to be scheduled at no cost to you. You may also choose to contact your healthcare provider to schedule a test. For additional information, please go to: https://blink.ucsd.edu/HR/services/covid-19/symptom-screening/

Campus on-site employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by UC San Diego Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours. If you are a campus on-site employee who tests positive at a non-UC San Diego Health location, you must report your results to COEM at COEMexposure@health.ucsd.edu to support contact tracing efforts.

Student employees who test positive will be communicated with and coordinated through UC San Diego Student Health Services (SHS). Student employees who test positive with an outside healthcare provider, must report their results to SHS by calling 858-534-3300.

COEM, in conjunction with the UC San Diego Public Health’s Contact Tracing team, will contact the positive person and conduct case investigation and contact tracing. This process involves reviewing their health, identifying close contacts and where they have been on campus, reviewing campus release from work and return to work requirements, and notifying San Diego County Public Health to ensure proper reporting. Communication with close contacts will be coordinated between San Diego County Public Health and UC San Diego Public Health’s Contact Tracing team. The contact tracing team will only contact UC San Diego community members, such as staff, faculty, students, and vendors. San Diego County Public Health will contact all other close contacts located in San Diego.

COEM will notify the UC San Diego Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the date, time and location(s) that the positive employee was on-site. The EOC will contact the supervisor by phone or email to collect additional information on the work area to make disinfection, sanitation and deep cleaning determinations and operational pause notifications. To comply with privacy policies and laws and maintain patient confidentiality, the positive employee’s name and any information about the person’s identity should remain confidential and should not be shared over email.

If an employee working on campus tests positive for COVID-19, a notification to COEM at COEMexposure@health.ucsd.edu and to EOC at eoc@ucsd.edu must be made to support contact tracing and disinfection efforts.

If a student working on campus tests positive for COVID-19, a notification to SHS must be made.

Employees will receive a phone call from UC San Diego’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) if you were tested at a UC San Diego Health location to notify you of your test results and to conduct a case investigation. Students will receive a call from Student Health Services.

If you reported your positive test results to COEM’s email address, they will call you to follow up after they receive your notification to begin case investigation, typically within 24 hours. You will also receive a call from the contact tracing team to determine all close contacts. All COVID-19 positive cases are reported to San Diego County Public Health Services, who may attempt to call you as well. Please do not be alarmed by the multiple follow-up calls; it is for the health and safety of our county and campus communities. Communication will be done on campus phones so please answer calls from campus phone numbers and/or return calls promptly.

The Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Testing Dashboard provides information about COVID-19 testing and prevalence in the UC San Diego community based on tests conducted by UC San Diego Health and UC San Diego Student Health Services. It is updated each weekday.

 

COVID-19 vaccinations are an important way to protect yourself and your family. In the short term, you can keep those who are older and who have other underlying conditions from becoming severely ill and potentially hospitalized.

In the longer term, vaccines reduce viral replication in the community. The more people who become infected, the greater the risk of additional variants developing. And variants can weaken the strength of vaccines, resulting in a need for constant updates and refinements. It is critical to prevent the virus from spreading and replicating in the first place.

The University of California approved a policy that requires all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they will be allowed on campus or in a facility or office. Individuals must show proof of vaccination two weeks before they are expected to be on campus for the fall term. Guidelines for how the policy will be implemented are being finalized and are expected to be issued very soon.

The policy will allow for medical exemptions consistent with CDC guidance and manufacturer labeling on contraindications and precautions. As with other policies, and, in the case of employees as required by federal and California law, faculty, staff and students will also be eligible to request accommodations based on disability or religious belief, and deferrals are available for those who are pregnant.

Those with approved exemptions, accommodations or deferrals may return to their location with the expectation that they will remain masked in all public settings and comply with the local testing plan. Employees who choose not to be vaccinated—and have no approved exemption, accommodation or deferral—potentially put others’ health at risk and may face disciplinary actions.

Two types of vaccines are available: those that use messenger RNA (mRNA) and ones that use a modified adenovirus to present the viral spike protein to the immune system. The goal of vaccination is to familiarize the immune system with the spike protein of the virus so that when someone is exposed, the person’s immune response can evolve much more quickly and gain control of the virus before severe illness develops. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use synthetic mRNA to instruct muscle cells to make the viral spike protein.

Vaccines that use mRNA are remarkably safe; mRNA has been termed the “instruction set for life.” It is used regularly to instruct every cell in our body on which proteins to make. They are produced in the nucleus of the cell by being copied from your DNA. They then go out into the main part of the cell where proteins are made and tell the cell’s protein production machinery what proteins to make. Once the instructions are read, the mRNA decays and its pieces are recycled to the nucleus to make new mRNA. The mRNA vaccines work the same way. The mRNA in these vaccines tell your muscle cells to make the viral spike protein. Once these instructions are delivered, the mRNA is degraded over 12 hours, and the spike protein that is created as a preview for the immune system disappears over 48 hours.

The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine that was reviewed by the FDA on Feb. 27 uses a modified adenovirus that can enter cells but can’t replicate inside them or cause illness. The adenovirus carries instructions to the cell nucleus to make mRNA, encoding the viral spike protein. As in the case of mRNA vaccines in which the mRNA is directly delivered, the adenovirus vaccine-associated mRNA migrates out of the nucleus and tells the cell to make the viral spike protein. The adenovirus used in these vaccines is defective and cannot grow further. It is quickly degraded and disappears.

This vaccine is slightly less effective than others in preventing mild disease but is very effective in preventing severe disease or death. The studies of this vaccine were carried out in the U.S., Africa and Brazil where the new variant strains are circulating. Although some people became mildly ill, no one was hospitalized and there were no deaths.

The primary goal of vaccinations is to avert hospitalization and any more deaths while we continue to decrease the amount of virus circulating. The Janssen vaccine prevents people from developing severe disease and death. There will eventually be a booster shot available like the other vaccines. For now, because the Janssen vaccine requires only one dose, we can get a large number of people vaccinated very quickly.

Rumors have circulated that mRNA vaccines can change your DNA. This is false. Every cell in our body uses mRNA as a way to instruct cells on which proteins to make. While they enter cells to conduct their work, they do not enter the nucleus where DNA is stored. The vaccines that use mRNA to instruct cells to build the coronavirus spike protein help prepare your body to produce antibodies that combat coronavirus if you come in contact with it later. The mRNA is quickly degraded once it is in the body, which is one reason why these vaccines must be carefully preserved at very low temperatures.

Soreness in the arm at the site of the shot is common. After the second vaccination, because your immune system has already seen it once, you may have a more vigorous response. Some people have a low-grade fever or feel tired for about 36 hours, but serious side effects have been extremely rare. Others don’t experience any symptoms at all. Regardless, these are mild side effects that are certainly less concerning than the prospect of becoming infected with COVID-19.

Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 95% effective against the original variants and at least 90% effective against the new variants. Again, they will prevent the development of severe disease and hospitalization, even with new variants. The newly approved vaccines are slightly less effective with the variants, but still protect against severe disease and death.

The two-vaccine sequence is a classic way to develop very high levels of immunity and it is important to get both doses. The first dose gives the immune system a first look at the harmful virus we need protection from. The second dose, or booster shot, causes the immune system to get really irritated when it appears again, resulting in the development of very high levels of antibodies. This is called a memory response, which can happen as soon as three weeks after the first vaccination. In fact, most two-shot vaccines are spaced at longer intervals than three to four weeks. For as long as six months after the first vaccination, a second shot can induce a vigorous booster response. Thus, even if your second dose is delayed for as long as two to three months, the booster response is extremely strong.

The only reason the vaccines were distributed three or four weeks apart in the initial clinical trials was to get as many people vaccinated as fast as possible. However, there is no evidence that you don’t get the same amount of memory response if the vaccines are given up to two to three months late. I recommend people receive both vaccinations because the memory response is the one that really solidifies the immunity that protects you for a long time.

We have learned through studies that some people who were infected before they were vaccinated continue to have viral shedding for the first couple of weeks after they are vaccinated. Then as their immunity rises from the vaccination, lower levels of virus are shed. There is good emerging evidence that vaccines decrease the rate of transmission; people aren’t prevented from shedding the virus, they just shed less. Although we recommend that all people continue to wear masks in public, those who have been vaccinated can mingle with others who have been vaccinated in small groups without masks, according to new guidance from the CDC. It is important to realize that full vaccine protection does not develop until two weeks have passed after the final vaccine dose and immunity should not be assumed until that time.

The other reason we recommend that everyone mask is that when you go into a grocery store, you want to see everyone masked. You can’t tell whether they have been vaccinated or not. By keeping everyone masked right now, it protects vulnerable people who have not been vaccinated and reinforces safe behaviors.

Vaccinated individuals may voluntarily opt to wear a face covering. There are many valid reasons for individuals to continue masking, for example, because one has a cold or is simply more comfortable wearing a mask around others. University community members should not make assumptions about vaccination status or stigmatize individuals who continue to wear face coverings.

There is no evidence that being vaccinated while you have COVID-19 (whether symptomatic or asymptomatic) is harmful. In fact, this happened in the vaccine trials and these individuals did not experience any side effects that differed from others.

For those who have recovered from COVID-19, it is still recommended that you are vaccinated. The reason is that vaccines induce better immunity than the real disease by two or fourfold. The vaccine may also offer stronger protection for a longer period and to a greater degree. There are also studies now emerging that suggest those who have been recently infected (within the past year) may need only a single vaccination since the illness itself has already familiarized the immune response with the virus. The initial vaccination in these people then essentially becomes the booster shot.

While uncomfortable for some people, the “fire” in your arm following the COVID-19 vaccination — more commonly after the second dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna — represents the evidence of an immune response. “Germinal centers” are developing in lymph tissue to stimulate pre-existing as well as new B cell clones, which then generate high-affinity, broad, and durable antibodies for considerable immunity. It is a good burn like you might feel after a hard workout in a gym. We do not know whether the intensity of an individual’s symptoms exactly predicts the subsequent levels of antibodies and duration of protection.

Based on all the available data both in animals and in humans, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination impacts female (or male) fertility. For women who anticipate becoming pregnant in the very near future, the risk of actual COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is the major concern, since COVID-19 infection is significantly more dangerous for pregnant women compared to women the same age who are not pregnant, including the risk of preterm birth. These are risks that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine could prevent.

The CDC Control states that any of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines can be offered to people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, but vaccination remains a personal choice.

UC San Diego will accept WHO-approved vaccines. Additionally, we will make “booster” shots available to any students who may have received vaccines that are not as potent or that do not protect against strains circulating in the fall. There are no known negative health risks to additional vaccinations. We anticipate that, in fact, booster shots will be required for all vaccines as immunity wanes and as the virus evolves.

We encourage students to take advantage of vaccines which are available in their home country rather than delaying until arrival at UC San Diego.

Students and families should prepare any necessary documentation before arrival in the Fall. We will accept an unofficial English translation accompanied by a copy of the native language vaccination record.

Yes, UC San Diego students will have access to free vaccination in the fall term. We will provide vaccinations to students who arrive who are not yet vaccinated.

Please do not engage in asking others about their vaccination status. There is currently a vaccine policy undergoing review by the Office of the President, and once that has been determined, there will be information on how the policy will be upheld.

Individuals should each take the safety precautions needed to alleviate their own concerns and best take care of themselves – this includes wearing a mask, taking COVID-19 safety precautions and receiving the vaccine, if you can do so.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is shed from the gastrointestinal tract and can be detected in feces early in the infection before clinical symptoms. UC San Diego’s wastewater monitoring program tests for SARS-CoV-2 virus in the wastewater outflow from buildings across the campus. Our experience to date has been that our test is extremely sensitive; a sampler covering several buildings housing a hundred or more people is capable of detecting a single individual shedding virus. This enables us to detect viral shedding and encourage COVID-19 testing as early as possible, so that infected individuals can get care, isolate themselves, and avoid infecting others. This is an important component of our multi-layered strategy that has helped UC San Diego avoid large clusters of infection.

UC San Diego collects and processes composite samples every day. The autosampler machines collect a sample every hour and the 24-hour composite sample is transported to the lab for processing. Occasionally, a building sample will not be able to be collected for a given day due to issues such as clogging, low flow, or other operational issues.

You can use the map on the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard to determine if your building is currently being monitored. We will be expanding our wastewater monitoring program to 200 samplers during winter quarter 2021, so if your building is not currently monitored it may be in the future. Unfortunately, we are not able to monitor every building on campus due to limitations in manhole suitability (placement, depth, etc.) and sampler numbers.

You can use the map on the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard to determine if your building is currently being monitored, and if so, the status of the wastewater signal associated with the building.

If your building is associated with a positive wastewater signal, it may mean that there are one or more infected individuals in the building.

Because multiple buildings can feed wastewater into a single sampler, a positive signal in a building does not necessarily mean there is someone infected inside your building. Further, in some cases individuals who have recovered from their SARS-CoV-2 infection can continue to shed virus into the wastewater for several weeks after they have recovered. These individuals who are no longer infectious can, in some circumstances, contribute to a positive wastewater signal.

If you used the restroom in a building associated with a positive wastewater signal on that day, out of an abundance of caution, you should get tested promptly. For more information on testing, visit the Testing and Screening page. Additionally, we encourage you to remain vigilant about masking and social distancing. You do not need to quarantine or isolate until you receive your results.

Information on the location of detected cases at UC San Diego can be found on the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard.

We are currently adapting our wastewater notification process given epidemiological conditions and development of our data systems. Please check the dashboard regularly for information. 

Contact tracing is an activity that is commonly done to interrupt transmission of communicable diseases or diseases that are passed from one person to another. It is critically important in interrupting transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Contact tracing involves interviewing individuals who are infected and their close contacts. Close contacts of an infected person are individuals who have been within six feet of the person who has the infection for more than 15 minutes or anyone who has come in contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

UC San Diego has safety requirements for everyone who is on campus, including physical distancing, wearing face coverings, and proper hand hygiene and sanitation. Individuals are unlikely to become a close contact of a newly infected person on campus as long as there is widespread adherence to campus safety requirements.

Whether you are in a classroom, a residential hall, or an office on the campus, the key is to stay physically distant, wear a face covering, and to do so for all of the time you are together. Otherwise if an infection appears in the area you're working in, you run the risk of becoming a close contact. If you are identified as a close contact, you will be notified within 24 hours of the infected person receiving their test result.

Close contacts are reached by phone. If someone would like to follow up with our staff by text message, that will also be available. At this time, mobile applications are not being used.

When a person becomes infected, their name and contact information is documented by their healthcare provider using standard privacy and health protections. They are also interviewed about their close contacts and advised on health and prevention measures. Close contacts receive a phone call to inform them that they have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Confidentiality of the infected person is maintained.

It will depend on the nature of your interaction and whether the individual you know tests positive for COVID-19. You are considered to be a "close contact" by San Diego County Public Health if you were less than 6 feet away for 15 minutes or more from, or had direct physical contact (such as hugging/kissing) with an individual who is confirmed as COVID-19 positive. If you meet the criteria for being a “close contact,” to be safe it is best that you stay at home and avoid contact with vulnerable individuals (those over 65 years of age, with chronic medical conditions or immunocompromised) until the individual’s COVID-19 test is back. If you need to leave your home, make sure you wear a face covering and maintain physical distancing. If their test result is positive or if you have questions about what to do, contact Student Health Services for additional guidance including testing and recommendations about restricting activity, including a period of quarantine. Staff and faculty can contact the COVID Nurse’s line to get advice through the Symptom Screening Tool.

If you meet the criteria for being a "close contact" (you were less than 6 feet away for 15 minutes or more or had direct physical contact with the person with COVID-19) you will need to quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure under the County Health Order on Quarantine for Persons Exposed to COVID-19. You should seek testing through Student Health Services at 858-534-3300, especially if you develop symptoms. If you begin to exhibit symptoms, remain at home and contact Student Health Services for additional guidance including testing and recommendations about restricting activity. Staff and faculty can contact the COVID Nurse’s line to get advice through the Symptom Screening Tool.

A test will help determine if you will require isolation housing and additional clinical guidance and support. If your test is positive, you can help others by determining if any other individuals were exposed to the virus. These individuals will need to be contacted and provided with clinical guidance through a process called contact tracing. The University offers contact tracing services in order to reduce the spread of the virus without revealing your identity and to maintain your confidentiality. If your test is negative, you will still need a 14-day quarantine period after exposure because you may still be contagious or develop symptoms after your initial test. If you develop symptoms after your initial test, you may need to be re-tested. Please seek the guidance of your health provider to determine if you will need to be re-tested.

These two terms are commonly confused. Contact tracing is a very specific method for public health intervention that requires in-depth investigation of potential exposure, risk for severe disease, and risk for transmission of the virus to others. It begins with a phone call with a person who is infected, then a conversation with their close contacts, and two weeks of follow-up with the close contacts.

Alternatively, exposure notification is usually conducted completely digitally on an opt-in basis. This process involves the use of smartphones to create a log of potential close contacts. The individual would enable this feature—via Bluetooth technology—and would only connect to other smartphones that have also enabled the same system. If one person becomes infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a message would be sent to those enabled smartphones that they might have been exposed to someone with the virus in the last two weeks. Learn more and download CA Notify on your smartphone.

Yes. On-campus housing communities and dining facilities will remain open with enhanced precautionary measures. More information on housing and the latest updates can be found here.

If a student living in on-campus housing tests positive for COVID-19, they will be moved to isolation housing at any time during the academic year. Basic needs will be met and hot meals delivered to the unit three times a day. They will also receive care from Student Health Services. Additional details are available on the HDH: COVID-19 Updates page.

Yes, quarantine and isolation are different. According to San Diego County Health orders, isolation is for individuals with a known diagnosis of COVID-19 or who are likely to have COVID-19. Quarantine is for those who are "close contacts" of an individual with a known diagnosis of COVID-19. Please see the County's guide on the differences between quarantine and isolation.

Any unvaccinated student who resides in campus-operated housing and who engages in any off-campus unmasked activity (sharing a meal, recreational activities, gatherings, etc.) is required to be masked and distanced within their residential unit (with the exception of their personal bedroom and the shower), complete the daily screener, and undergo additional COVID-19 testing on days 1, 5 and 10 after returning to campus, resuming weekly testing after the day 10 test.

Students are encouraged to pick up a self-administered test at any COVID test kit vending machine location on campus. Alternatively, if the student has never completed a self-administered test before, they should use the online self-scheduler to select a convenient testing time for a provider-observed, self administered test.

Students may continue to attend in-person classes and are encouraged to visit the Virtual Student Union for daily offerings of remote and virtual engagement opportunities to stay connected.

Virtual and on-campus tours are now available. Visitors may register for a 90-minute, completely outdoor walking tour led by current UC San Diego students. Please see details and safety protocols here.

We are monitoring a wide range of data: health, behavior, feedback from those living and working on campus. Daily, based on trends, we adjust the way the campus is operating: new messaging to students, new cleaning methods, etc. There are many small, targeted adjustments that can be used to improve how campus is functioning and how we preserve health and well-being. Thus far, positivity rates are extremely low, and there is no evidence of transmission in teaching or research spaces. A significant reduction or elimination of in-person instruction and/or on-campus presence would happen if there were a big shift away from what we are now seeing, if there were clear public health concerns evident from the data.

See the campus rapid intervention framework for details about how we are actively evaluating COVID- related trends as they emerge to ensure UC San Diego can respond rapidly to the evolving situation.

Every evening, the COVID Monitoring Team reviews all of the cases that have occurred at the university in the last 24 hours, along with all of the particular circumstances and outcomes, and provides recommendations to the COVID Response Team, which determines what actions might be needed to further promote public health on campus. Response time, student and staff compliance, and overall transmission risks are all being monitored. Several data-points are shared on the Return to Learn Dashboard. 

The campus is deploying several student engagement and support strategies to encourage good decisions and compliance with our Student Code of Conduct which has been revised to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Examples include:

• Triton Health Ambassadors: embedded and off-campus to advance social norming and compliance campaigns.
• Student-led marketing and communications, including student “pledge” and community-focused efforts.
• Social media content, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter and student-created TikTok videos.
• Town halls.
• Landlord communication: outreach to share campus processes and protocols.
• COVID-19 training for employee and student safety awareness.
• Clear expectations via direct communication to parents and students.
• Supporting student success with accessible testing
• COVID-19 residential roommate agreements.

Non-compliance is subject to progressive engagement and discipline, in accordance with appropriate policies and processes for students.

• Self sanitation: installed sanitation stations at all campus core building main entrances; monitor soap and paper towel supply in restrooms regularly.
• Touch free entrances: installation of touchless door entries at all major entrances and hand-free faucets and soap dispensers.
• Ventilation: maximize flow of outside air to the greatest extent possible. Retrofitted 95% of core-funded buildings with hospital-grade filters. Preventative maintenance and ongoing disinfection.
• Cleanliness: disinfection of high traffic areas like door handles, buttons and water fountains on a daily (if not more frequent) basis. 

Learn more about the Facilities Management response to the pandemic.

General guidelines for outdoor settings:

• Fully vaccinated: face covering not required except in crowded environments (300 people or more) such as sporting events, concerts and fairs.
• Unvaccinated: face covering required during most outdoors activities . (Exceptions include going for walks, jogs or bike rides, or when taking part in small outdoor gatherings where everyone else is fully vaccinated.)

General guidelines for indoor settings:

Regardless of vaccination status, everyone must mask indoors. This includes shopping, dining, public transportation, exercising, studying indoors at a location that is not your primary residence, attending indoor business meetings and indoor events. Laboratory settings require everyone to be masked and distanced.

Learn more on the Campus Safety page.

Throughout the pandemic, Resource Management and Planning (RMP) has continued to safely deliver essential services to the campus. Full information about campus safety operations can be found here.

UC San Diego employees are now receiving a daily email with the subject line, “Required Daily Notification of Potential Workplace Exposure Locations.” When UC San Diego receives notice that an individual infected with COVID‐19 was present at a UC San Diego worksite, the impacted locations are shared on the UC San Diego COVID Daily Dashboard. The university is required to notify employees daily about potential exposures, in accordance with California law.

UC San Diego Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) will coordinate with the supervisor and Facilities Management for cleaning and disinfection of workspaces, equipment, and common surface areas such as elevator buttons, doors, and high contact areas. Work areas where the positive individual spent significant time will be closed or have restricted access until the facility is cleaned/disinfected. This is evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to the information provided by the individual who tested positive and the supervisor. Occupants in the affected area will be notified to vacate by department officials until cleaning and disinfection has been completed and is safe to return. Disinfection typically takes less than 24 hours during the work week but could take up to 48 hours.

The workspace cleaning and disinfection protocols follow the CDC guidance framework that includes an operational assessment and scope of cleaning assessment. The cleaning/disinfection process is based on the timeline of occupancy in the space, type of space, utilization of space, symptoms, and mask usage. Responsiveness to Emergency Operations Center communication is the best step to initiate the process to assess the situation and develop the appropriate plan and procedures for cleaning and disinfection.

Please refer to the Face Mask Intervention Support Poster for steps you can take if a student in your class is not wearing a mask. The first step is to simply remind the student of the requirement to wear a face-covering and the last would be to contact Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) to send a representative to speak with the student.

Here are a few suggestions for what instructors might do while waiting for an EH&S representative to reach the classroom:

• Ask the student to step outside the classroom or away from the area and wait for the EH&S representative to arrive.
• Dismiss the in-person session for the day, thereby putting social pressure on the student who has inconvenienced their classmates.
• Have the class take a brief break while waiting for the EH&S representative.

If the student leaves before EH&S arrives, please give the student’s name to EH&S for reporting to student conduct. UC San Diego’s student code of conduct (PPM 160) has been revised to take into account the COVID-19 pandemic and recent changes to the Sexual Violence Sexual Harassment policy per the Department of Education. The Interim Student COVID-19 Code of Conduct is available here.

All UC San Diego students who reside on campus, and students who reside in the San Diego region planning to physically come onto the campus for various activities, such as attending an in-person class, are expected to participate in daily symptom and exposure screening before arrival. The symptom-screening tool can be accessed from a computer or mobile device.

COVID-19 Testing Noncompliance: Under PPM 516-31, mandatory COVID-19 testing every week applies to students who are on campus for educational, research, co-curricular, recreational, or social activities (including all students living in University-owned housing). As such, unless granted a special exemption approved by Student Health Services, students 9 days out of compliance with this policy will be referred to the Student Conduct Office for the progressive discipline process.

Yes, any University official (faculty and TAs included) can ask a student to provide evidence of compliance with safety regulations (e.g., using the screening app). However, you are not required to do this; it is your choice. Student Health Services and Student Affairs are monitoring compliance and working to ensure all students comply with campus safety regulations. 

Please visit the Return to Learn Academics page for detailed information regarding classroom safety plans and precautions and upgrades to classroom technology.

Outdoor Classrooms

There are six outdoor classrooms available on campus. The Revelle and Warren Mall outdoor classrooms are capped at 60 person occupancy and those at the P416 location are capped at 75 person occupancy. As usual, each instructor may choose the teaching modality that is best for their class.

The fully equipped outdoor classrooms feature:

• LED lights throughout
• WiFi access for students and ethernet connectivity for instructors.
• Speakers, microphones and Zoom/podcast capable cameras
• Multiple large displays and whiteboards
• Movable seating that offers flexible use for lectures, labs, performances and more

View a list of outdoor classrooms.

Outdoor Study Spaces

Currently, there are six outdoor study spaces available on campus, conveniently located next to our outdoor classrooms. These facilities are capped at 35 person occupancy and available on a first-come, first-served basis. All campus physical distancing and face covering rules and protocols apply.

Outdoor study spaces are open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. View a list of outdoor study space locations here.

• Revelle 1, Revelle Plaza | Map
• Revelle 2, Revelle Plaza | Map
• Warren 1, Warren Mall | Map
• Warren 2, Warren Mall | Map
• Warren 3, Warren Mall | Map
• P416/International Plaza 1, P416 Lot | Map

COVID-19 infections occur through the transmission of virus-containing droplets and aerosols exhaled from infected individuals during breathing, speaking, coughing and sneezing. The risk of becoming infected with the novel coronavirus is lower outside because the concentration of the virus is diluted. Breezes and winds can help transport infectious droplets and aerosols away instead of lingering in the air. They can be further dispersed by attaching to other particles such as dust and pollution. Additionally, the virus can be inactivated by ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and it is likely sensitive to ambient temperature and relative humidity. Our intention is for these classroom tents to offer greater ventilation to help keep our students and faculty safe.

The 80- by 60-foot outdoor classrooms are ADA compliant with the capacity to seat up to 50 students physically distanced. Each space features a comprehensive A/V setup, including boosted Wi-Fi, Zoom and podcasting equipment, weatherproof pendant speakers, microphones and LCD display screens located throughout the space as well as traditional whiteboards. Speakers have been configured near the top of the tent to provide direct sound to the audience, rather than towards neighboring buildings. They also have the same enhanced cleaning services as traditional campus classrooms.

Faculty interested in hosting their course in one of the limited outdoor teaching spaces should speak with their department scheduler to determine whether that request can be accommodated. Please note that, in accordance with state guidelines, instructors can only host in-person classes in their designated spaces. Faculty and TAs are not permitted to provide instruction to students in-person in a personal office, a random spot outdoors, or any other space that has not been specifically approved for instructional purposes.

We start from the equity and access premise that we need to structure our courses so that all the students in them can access course materials and participate fully. Some students will have challenges with unstable internet, a computer that breaks down, lack of a private space from which to attend class, a job schedule that changes abruptly, illness, or being in another time zone. Synchronous elements of a course can be very powerful for students’ learning. So when they are used, one needs to make sure there is a way for students who are unable to be present at that moment to have an equivalent experience, not just from the perspective of earning course points but in order to learn about the subject, from the instructor and their peers.

The International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) is in close contact with international students to provide updated information and assistance as needed. Students entering for the first-time with a new SEVIS record must enroll in at least one in-person or hybrid course. Continuing students holding an active SEVIS record are eligible to enroll in a fully remote course load for each quarter, maintain their F-1 status, and seek re-entry into the U.S. In addition, they will be permitted to temporarily count online classes towards a full course of study in excess of the regulatory limits. Additional information about immigration policy updates is available here.

It is possible, however important procedural issues must be followed. Students should consult with their department graduate program coordinator, who can interface with the Graduate Division on their behalf.

Course instructors determine the most appropriate method for assessing student learning in their course and are strongly encouraged to consider pedagogical best practices to support student success in the remote and hybrid learning environment. Please review the recommendations regarding remote course exams, other assessments, and available proctoring services.

The Teaching + Learning Commons offers resources and guidelines to help faculty develop remote assessments that enable students to demonstrate their knowledge, inform future instruction, and improve student success. Review their strategies and resources for remote assessments, which includes instructions for creating exams in Canvas, and be sure to reference the complete guide to assessing student learning in remote instruction.

In addition, the Academic Integrity Office provides guidance for choosing the right assessment for your course, and offers strategies and resources for supporting integrity in the remote learning environment. The Teaching + Learning Commons, Educational Technology Services, and Academic Integrity Office have partnered to offer webinars for faculty related to common questions about remote instruction, including well-designed remote assessments and going remote with integrity.

For personalized support with remote instruction and pedagogical best practices in the remote learning environment, request a confidential teaching consultation with an education specialist or email engagedteaching@ucsd.edu.

For information on remote/online teaching resources, please visit KeepTeaching.ucsd.edu.  Additional information may be found at the Educational Continuity site. Information for students regarding resources to support remote learning may be found here.

Media Lab equipment check out services will be open via curbside pickup. Information about the new curbside pickup procedures is available here.

Beginning Monday, June 28, 2021, Geisel Library’s 1st and 2nd Floors West will be open Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 300 study seats will be available for individual study, including computers, and reservations will not be required. Building capacity can be viewed in real-time via the Waitz app. Please make note of the following:

• Be prepared to show your campus ID at the door as well as your campus health screening / “green thumb” report.

• Staff, faculty, researchers and unvaccinated students must wear a mask at all times while in the building.

• There will be no access to group study rooms or the collections.

• The Teaching + Learning Commons will be open to students during Library hours.

• Information about currently available Library resources and services can be found here. 

Find up to date information on current Library services here.

Our first concern is the safety of our campus community. Any faculty member with personal health and/or safety concerns should contact their department chair/provost/director to make appropriate plans. Any TA with personal health and/or safety concerns should speak with their instructor of record/department chair/divisional dean to make appropriate plans. Additional information about this topic for faculty is available on the Academic Personnel FAQ page here.