July 17 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
Santora Elite Training Center. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
UCI UPDATES
CA Governor issues statewide guidance for schools
In a press conference today, Gov. Newsom outlined plans for reopening K12 schools in the state, which includes requiring students 3rd grade through 12th to wear face coverings. The directive applies to both public and private schools, the governor said. In all, a majority of California’s students would begin the new school year as the last one ended: learning online at home. Higher education guidance is expected next week.
Positive cases
Three employees have tested positive for coronavirus. All three are recovering in self-isolation at home and those who may have come in contact with them are being notified. One graduate student and one undergraduate student have also tested positive for coronavirus, and are recovering in self-isolation at their homes off campus. For a complete case count, visit www.uci.edu/coronavirus.
How to return to campus
While the default continues to be to work remotely, the following is the process to return to campus. If a unit leader determines that an employee’s job duties or a group of employee’s job duties require on-site engagement, the unit leader or dean must clearly identify what activities these are, and submit a unit plan to the Campus Recovery Implementation Team (CRIT), at CRIT@uci.edu. Here is the step-by-step process for bringing employees back to campus. You can view a flow chart of the process, as well as a memo on the pilot return to campus proposal.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND STORIES
UCI experts participate in Facebook live event
Orange County residents were able to ask questions and get answers straight from some of the county’s top public health experts during a live online video discussion arranged and hosted by Voice of OC. The discussion featured UC Irvine Public Health Director and Founding Dean Bernadette Boden-Albala, UCI MD Daniel Chow, and UCI Epidemiologist Andrew Noymer, among other panelists. The video is available on the Voice of OC website.
UC UPDATES
UC admission of California students at all-time record high
The University of California announced that it has offered a record number of California freshmen and transfer students admission to at least one of its nine undergraduate campuses for fall 2020. UC’s overall freshman admission rate increased 8 percentage points this year, rising to 69 percent of all applicants, with 119,054 students admitted out of a pool of 172,308.
HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER
Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor.
Apple promotes working from home in relatable new video
The goal of this wacky, 7-minute short film is to highlight how Apple hardware and software help people working from home “unleash their creativity and productivity.”
Forsooth: COVID-19 brings Shakespeare to Vermont backyards
The Vermont Shakespeare Festival officials pushed “Merry Wives” to 2021, but they wanted to find a way to give to the community, especially in uncertain times. Their solution: Shakespeare to You, also known as Bard to Your Yard. To order up a performance, aspiring audiences go to the Vermont Shakespeare website and choose from among a dozen Shakespeare selections.
“The idea is just a single person going up to a yard and ringing the doorbell, wearing a mask, stepping back, at least 6 feet apart, delivering a live Shakespeare monologue or sonnet as a way of connecting in a real, face-to-face, live way,” said a member of the festival.
COMMUNITY UPDATES & NEWS
Note: Some news organizations require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal for students, faculty and staff.
CDC director: We can control virus in 4 to 8 weeks if everyone in the U.S. wears a mask
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield noted the public can control the spread of COVID-19 within 4 to 8 weeks with the use of face masks. Redfield states asymptomatic people may be keeping the virus alive.
California won’t cancel bar exam despite COVID-19 but offers options to law school graduates
California is refusing to cancel its bar exam despite complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic — but is offering would-be lawyers the option of taking an online test or accepting a “provisional” license that’s good for up to two years.
Farmers’ market reopening in Irvine
The market is open 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at 5001 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine.
Another wave of coronavirus patients likely to hit Orange County hospitals
County Health Care Agency Director and acting Public Health Officer Clayton Chau at a Thursday news conference said the number of ICU beds “has been fluctuating up and down” and was hesitant to call the situation stable.
Some researchers say skin rash is a COVID-19 symptom
According to researchers from King’s College London, skin rashes and reddish bumps on fingers and toes should be considered a key coronavirus symptom.
U.S. reports highest daily jump so far
Yesterday, the U.S. reported more than 77,200 cases. This was the highest single-day jump since the pandemic began.
10% of COVID-19 cases in California are kids and teens
While the CDC shows data that those younger than 18 make up only 2% of the coronavirus cases nationwide, in California and Mississippi, rates are nearing 10% of overall cases.
Manhattan Beach to fine those not wearing a mask
Those not wearing a mask or face covering in public will face citations and fines in Manhattan Beach. It will cost $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second and $350 for each one after that.
UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List
The Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2020
Coronavirus pandemic creates bar exam chaos
Tribune (The Sacramento Bee), July 17, 2020
California won’t cancel bar exam despite COVID-19 but offers options to law school graduates
Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2020
Coronavirus now spreading faster in suburbs like Orange County than in L.A. County
Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2020
The comfort of cash in a time of coronavirus
Voice of OC, July 17, 2020
Voice of OC convenes county public health experts to answer coronavirus questions
Voice of OC, July 17, 2020
OC restaurant outbreaks rose sharply when indoor dining opened, now down since closing, county says
ABC7, July 17, 2020 (Video)
Anaheim middle and high schools will start fall with distance learning
Orange County Register, July 16, 2020
Two Anaheim school districts won’t reopen campuses this fall
Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2020
Push to reopen Orange County schools without masks is tied to charter school proponents
Irish Times, July 16, 2020
Working together, apart can be fraught with misunderstanding
Washington Examiner, July 17, 2020
Virtual success: College graduates grapple with pandemic woes but score jobs online
MORE INFORMATION
OC-COVID19.org - powered by UCI and UCI Health, a website devoted to providing timely, useful, evidence-based information about the novel coronavirus pandemic to our friends and neighbors across Orange County
UCI Coronavirus Information Hub - more information on campus status and operational updates
UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health