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UCI Forward is our commitment to the well-being of our community as we ramp up campus operations. Working together, each of us doing our part, we can move UCI Forward.

October 13 - Updates on COVID-19

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TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

Winter Quarter instruction

Expectations for winter quarter instruction, are that it will follow the same general plans as fall quarter. Most undergraduate courses will be taught remotely. Graduate courses will be allowed to be held in-person with appropriate public health practices and procedures in place. Details regarding course-related field work and practicums for graduate work are still in development and will be communicated separately.

Student testing going well

As in the Anteater way, UCI is so far keeping the coronavirus in check. Thank you to our students living in campus housing for your dutiful participation in the regular COVID-19 testing. Please remember that a negative outcome from a test does not negate the need to continue being diligent with face coverings, refraining from gathering on or off campus, and maintaining social distance. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

Need a back-up face covering? We’ve got you covered

For your safety and the safety of others, if you lose your face covering or if it breaks, etc., UCI’s Environmental Health & Safety Department is providing back-up face coverings at a number of locations on campus. They are available for both students and employees, first come, first served. For questions, email safety@uci.edu.

UCI employees: please complete the Return-to-Campus training

All UCI employees, regardless of whether you are working remotely or on site, are required to take the Return-to-Onsite Work training. This training is mandated by Cal/OSHA and the California Department of Public Health. To date, 67% of employees have completed the training. The training module is available through the UC Learning Center and can be searched by title using the Find a Course function. Please complete this at your earliest convenience.

Case count

One employee has tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend. There are currently seven active positive cases combined among students and employees. Please visit the UCI dashboard for up-to-date counts on cases and tests.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Irvine Company partners with UCI Health on workplace wellness protocols

As part of their thorough review, the UCI Health team considered Irvine Company’s coronavirus-related health and safety plans and protocols, interviewed operations executives, and conducted walk-throughs of Irvine Company office and corporate workplaces.

Upcoming events

UC UPDATES

8 things that are new this election

The pandemic has transformed just about every aspect of our lives, from how we live, work and study to how we cast our ballots. California has implemented a host of measures so citizens can securely cast their ballots. Here is what’s new this year.

GENERAL COVID-19 NEWS

This section curates noteworthy coronavirus news, trends and opinions. No endorsement by UCI is implied. Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and OC Register for students, faculty and staff
  

OC high school student tests positive after in-person learning begins

Los Alamitos High School officials informed parents that a student has tested positive for COVID-19 just one week after the school reopened its doors for in-person learning.

California allows up to 3 households to gather outdoors

California is easing its restrictions by allowing three households to socialize so long as they wear masks and are outside. State health officials previously had discouraged gatherings outside of a single household.

Newsom sending team to Disney World to look at precautions

Gov. Newsom said he was sending a team of people to parks open in other states, like Disney World, to learn what precautions they are taking to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in California lowest level in six months

Across California, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have dropped to the lowest levels in months. The average number of daily deaths in the state is 57, the lowest since May, and those hospitalized as of Saturday were 2,209, the lowest since April 2.

Johnson & Johnson pauses Phase 3 coronavirus vaccine trial

Johnson & Johnson paused its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial due to “unexplained illness.” The company said it did not know immediately whether the volunteer who became ill received the vaccine or the placebo.

Mattress sales are soaring during the pandemic

Immersed in a work-from-home revolution, Americans are working from their beds, watching movies in the sack, spending more time at home and, consequently, deciding to upgrade their sleep setup. Adjustable bases, which raise and lower part of the mattress, enable people to sit upright while working on a laptop or watching movies on a device.

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. 
  

COVID-19: some things you can’t take back

Lower the risk of COVID-19. Wear a mask, do what you can outside, and stay 6 feet apart. Because some things you can’t take back.

#UCIconnected

Ellen Seaback hobby

During the pandemic, Ellen Seaback from the School of Medicine started doing Diamond Painting (aka Diamond Dotz). “It’s kind of tedious and it takes a while, but it’s a good little filler when you need to keep your hands busy with something repetitive and simple,” she says. Seaback made this one for her son and his wife for their coffee bar at home in North Carolina.

What have you been up to during the pandemic? Send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering or academic adventures to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.