November 16 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
What’s the buzz? Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES
State travel advisory issued
California has issued a new travel advisory recommending that anyone arriving from outside the state, including returning California residents, should self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival.
Case count news
Three new student cases and one employee COVID-19 diagnosis were reported late last week. Currently, UCI has 12 active cases on campus (nine students and three employees). Visit the UCI Forward dashboard for full case count and testing numbers.
UCI touts ‘two best Thanksgiving options’ for students
Either stay on campus for the entire long weekend or, if you leave, don’t return for the final three weeks of the quarter, housing officials advise. Students must register their plans for the Thanksgiving break by Nov. 24.
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
Orange County downgraded to purple tier
Although the county’s test positivity rate and health equity metric remain in orange and red tier levels, respectively, its daily case rate jumped from 5.6 per 100,000 residents to 10.8, which exceeds the state threshold of seven cases per 100,000, the governor said. That means indoor businesses deemed nonessential must close.
How Ticketmaster will check concert-goers’ vaccination status
The ticket vendor is devising plans to use smartphones to verify fans’ vaccination status or make sure they’ve tested negative for COVID 24 to 72 hours before a show.
Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5% effective
The company announced that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing the disease.
Small cities are a magnet for remote workers in pandemic
More and more young, well-paid and well-educated people are permanently relocating away from big metro areas, NPR reports. In line with that, records show hundreds of thousands of New York City residents have moved out of town in the last eight months.
Colleges urged to open more in spring: ‘I wish I was in a dorm with my friends’
With many classrooms and dormitories lightly used or even empty during the fall term, pressure is mounting for colleges and universities to bring more students to campus in 2021, despite the recent surge of the coronavirus.
Virus isn’t going away. Here’s how schools should reopen
A doctor and a parent organizer argue for plans to deliver in-person instruction safely during the pandemic.
Here comes Santa Claus - with face masks and plexiglass
Despite the pandemic – and the fact that Santa’s age and weight put him at high risk for severe illness from the coronavirus – mall owners are planning to bring him back this year. Just don’t try to sit on his lap.
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.
Backyard Matterhorn
Inspired by Disneyland’s iconic roller coaster, aspiring architect Sean LaRochelle and his brother spent the summer building a replica Matterhorn ride at their parents’ Napa Valley home, complete with animatronic Yeti and water features.
Close-up photo contest winners
Bugs, crystals and other tiny objects were the focus of this competition for close-up, micro and macro photographers.
#UCIconnected
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.