All UC San Diego staff, faculty, student employees, and individuals who are working in a research lab who are reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location for work must conduct a daily self-screening for COVID-19 and report any symptoms or confirmed exposures for days that they will be on site. All individuals regardless of vaccination status who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should test. Student employees, including teaching assistants, should only use the student daily screener.
Remote employees: recommended
All remote employees are strongly encouraged to conduct a daily self-screening in order to help consistently monitor the community's health and help schedule testing quickly, if the need arises. After you complete the daily screening, your supervisor will be notified of your work status. If you have severe symptoms, you should call 911. All individuals regardless of vaccination status who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should test.
Note: the screener 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 or check-in person in advance of going to work on-site to complete the screening verbally.
What Do the Thumbs Mean?
All UC San Diego campus employees who are reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location must conduct a daily self-screening for COVID-19 before arrival. You will receive a colored thumb after you complete the screening to signify if you are cleared to work, or if quarantine or testing is needed.
Allowed on campus
Follow campus safety guidelines
Allowed on campus
Must mask outdoors
Must eat alone
Follow campus safety guidelines
Not allowed on campus
COVID-19 Testing
UC San Diego offers an ongoing testing program for UC San Diego employees. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees at UC San Diego Health locations or via test kit vending macines, regardless of healthcare provider. You may also choose to visit your own healthcare provider for testing.
UC San Diego Health also offers COVID-19 tests by appointment for the public, including family members of employees and contractors.
If you have received the initial vaccination doses and you received your booster less than 7 days ago
If you have received the initial vaccination doses and you are eligible for a booster but you have not yet received a booster
If you have not received the initial vaccination doses or you are unvaccinated
Routine asymptomatic testing is not required for students and campus employees who are up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination status.
Also test if:
You develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
You have used the restroom facilities in a facility with a positive wastewater signal, regardless of vaccination status.
You are a fully remote employee who is not fully vaccinated and plan to come to campus for any reason (required to test within 72 hours of arrival and on the day of arrival).
Vaccination Status Definitions
What does it mean to be fully vaccinated?
You have received a booster shot and it has been 7 days or more since your booster shot, or
You have received the complete initial vaccination dose(s) and you are not yet eligible for a booster.
What is considered not fully vaccinated?
You have received a booster shot and it has been less than 7 days since your booster shot;
You have received a complete initial vaccine series and are eligible for a booster shot, but have not yet received one;
Employees may visit one of several vending machines on campus to pick up a self-administered test kit, which they can complete at their convenience and drop off within 72 hours (from the time the kit is picked up), no appointment needed. Please submit your sample by 2 p.m. for the most timely return of results. Samples submitted after 2 p.m. will not be picked up until 8 a.m. the following day.
Employees may pick up one test kit for their own usage on a twice-weekly basis, unless authorized to test more frequently by the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line.
While test kits are still free, a virtual debit of $1 will happen automatically on your campus card account, followed by an immediate credit return that will balance out to zero each day; there will be no actual charge. After your card is validated, you may make any selection from numbers 10-69.
Know your Active Directory (AD) username and password
Download the free UC San Diego app. For those who already have it, please be sure it is updated. You will need the updated app to scan the test kit.
Download the MyChart app and select UCSDHealth as the provider for MyUCSDChart. Please login using your Active Directory (AD) credentials rather than using the “Guest Login” or signing in with a previous username. This will prevent duplication of records and ensure your results are delivered correctly.
*For those who prefer an alternative, iPads are available at the Price Center clinic location, which is by appointment only.
Vending Machine Hours and Locations
Monday - Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. *Please note the Price Center vending machine weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Muir College | Roots Restaurant (map)(unavailable during summer)
For those who would like to schedule a drive-up/walk-through appointment, including those completing their first-ever UC San Diego COVID-19 test, please use the links below. Note that drive-up appointments may have limited availability.
Price Center (Walk-Up) — By Appointment Only UC San Diego Campus | Price Center East, Ballroom B Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 AM - 12 PM and 1 PM - 4 PM Tuesday: 7 AM - 12 PM and 1 PM - 6 PM Thursday: 9 AM - 12 PM and 1 PM - 4 PM Saturday: 9 AM - 3 PM Sunday: Closed
La Jolla (Drive-Up) — By Appointment Only 9331 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037 Hours: 8 AM - 12 PM and 1PM - 6:30 PM Located in parking lot number P782
Self-pay COVID-19 testing, including travel testing, for members of the public is currently paused. This is due to new California legislation that requires billing insurance for all COVID-19 testing, including testing that is for personal use or not medically necessary. Learn more about community COVID-19 testing.
For those who do not qualify for self-administered testing and are living or working on campus (including family members of employees who live on campus), you may be eligible for free testing through a provider-administered testing site, such as at the Price Center clinic or a drive thru location. Contact RTL@ucsd.edu to determine if you are eligible.
Symptoms
On-site employees with symptoms
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, do not report to your worksite and complete the symptom and exposure screening. You will be contacted by the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line unless you have already contacted them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you in scheduling a test.
If you are already at a UC San Diego worksite and you develop symptoms, you should retake the symptom and exposure screening immediately and call the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line at 619-543-8260 to speak with a healthcare professional who will assist you with determining if you should be tested sooner. You will be sent home by your supervisor.
Remote employees with symptoms
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, report the symptoms in the symptom and exposure screening tool and you will be contacted by the UC San Diego Health Testing Support Line, unless you have already contacted them directly at 619-543-8260. A healthcare professional will assist you with determining if you should be tested sooner.
Symptomatic employees waiting for test results
If you were tested because of symptoms or possible direct exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual, you should behave as if you have been infected and can infect others while you are waiting for your results.
Do not report to your work on-site.
Avoid contact with other people, including those sharing your residence.
Stay in your residence in an isolated room alone and wear a face covering if you enter common areas.
Wash your hands before leaving your room or when coming into contact with others.
How will I receive my test results?
If you are tested at a UC San Diego Health location and your result is positive, a healthcare professional will call you with your test results, usually within 24 hours.
If your test results are negative, you will receive a notification in MyChart.
If you do not have a MyChart account, you will receive a phone call to convey your test result, regardless if it is positive or negative.
If you are tested at UC San Diego and you have not received your test results within 48 hours, please call the Testing Support Line at 619-543-8260.
Positive result
Stay home (isolate) for 10 days.
Isolation can end when:
You no longer have a fever and symptoms are gone or resolving, AND
You receive a negative test result after completing a rapid antigen test on or after Day 5 (schedule rapid antigen test here), AND
You continue to mask around others for the complete 10-day period.
Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
Stay in a separate room from other household members and use a separate bathroom, if possible.
Do not share personal household items like cups, towels and utensils.
Wear a mask around others.
Stay home except to get medical care.
Do not conduct a COVID-19 PCR test for the next 90 days.
If you are an employee who tests positive at a non-UC San Diego Health location, you must report your results to the UC San Diego Health’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at COEMexposure@health.ucsd.edu.
Per mandate of the County of San Diego, all positive test results must be reported to the County of San Diego, Public Health Department.
Supervisor Information
Instructions are available for supervisors and managers to support team members who test positive for COVID-19. This includes guidance for employees on how to report their positive test, how to get cleared to return to on-site work, and how to submit a Potential Workplace Exposure Notification.
Returning to Work
For employees working on-site and are tested at UC San Diego Health, you will be provided a Cleared for Work note by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
For those who test positive outside of UC San Diego Health, your healthcare provider should provide you with a Release from Work note initially, and later a Cleared for Work note to provide to your supervisor/HR contact.
Employee Leave Options
UC San Diego employees are eligible for both short and long-term paid leave options. These may be used for a variety of circumstances, including if you or a family member becomes infected with COVID-19, if you or a family member has been exposed or you are caring for children whose place of care is closed due to the pandemic.
Additional leave protections will be available for all UC San Diego non-academic employees including health system and health sciences who have taken a COVID-19 test pursuant to the required weekly testing program and have tested positive. Such employees will be eligible for paid leave in the work hour equivalent of up to 10 calendar days from the positive test.
If you are an on-site employee who tests positive at a UC San Diego Health location, your results will be shared with UC San Diego’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) for campus employees or Infection Prevention/Clinical Epidemiology for Health employees and the UC San Diego Public Health COVID Response Team.
In accordance with applicable law, if you are an on-site employee, your supervisor will be informed of the reason why you are not permitted to work on-site to aid in contact tracing and safety efforts, but will be prevented from further sharing the information, to protect your privacy.
All test result information will be stored in the Epic health record system. For information about data sharing and privacy related to test results, visit UC San Diego Health Notice of Privacy Practices.
Exposure and Isolation
Close Contact
UC San Diego uses the definition of exposure/close contact established by San Diego County public health officials.
Employees are encouraged to seek counseling support and may reach out to the UC San Diego Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP). The confidential service offers one-on-one counseling sessions via Zoom or phone. Current and returning clients can contact their counselor directly by phone or email; new clients can request an appointment online. For more information, contact fsap@ucsd.edu.