UCI Forward

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.

November 17 - Updates on COVID-19

Section 1

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

Impact to campus in Purple Tier

Yesterday, Governor Newsom said California will be “pulling an emergency brake” on reopening efforts in response to a recent surge of COVID cases. About 94% of the state, including Orange County, will revert to the most restrictive purple tier outlined in California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, effective today. The statewide restrictions affect some campus operations and practices.

Student resources and support

In preparation for the upcoming Winter Quarter, we want to remind you of the various resources and support available to students.

Up for a jog?

While much activity has been restricted, there are some things you can do alone or with your zotpod safely still. See this checklist of activities to help manage your risk.

Case count

No new positive coronavirus cases were reported since yesterday. The current active case count is 10. Visit the UCI dashboard for daily updates.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Fall digital active learning webinar series

The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation is offering 8 digital active learning webinars for instructors covering topics related to educational technology tools Nov. 16 - Dec. 3. Registration is requested and all webinars will be recorded and available to view on-demand after the live session through Canvas. If additional support is needed, DTEI staff are available for individual consultation as well.

Upcoming events

UC NEWS

Vacation accrual and administrative leave programs extended

The University of California continues to respond to the fast-moving developments surrounding COVID-19, and we continue to take steps to best protect and support our students, faculty, staff and communities. Two important programs have recently been granted extensions by UC President Drake: extension of COVID paid administrative leave and extension of temporary increase in maximum vacation accrual for policy covered staff.

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
  

Pfizer to test COVID-19 vaccine distribution in 4 states

Pfizer announced it would test distribution of its coronavirus vaccine in four U.S. states: Rhode Island, Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee. These states were picked because of their difference in size, population diversity, and their varied urban and rural settings.

Zoom will be free to use on Thanksgiving Day

For Thanksgiving Day, Zoom is lifting its 40-minute limit for all meetings globally from midnight ET on Nov. 26 through 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 27.

California breaks single-day record for new COVID-19 cases

California recorded 13,412 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday marking the highest daily total since the pandemic began and a sign of how quickly the coronavirus is spreading. 

County of Orange launches ‘Happy Holidays Neighbor!’ campaign

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is calling on residents to safely connect with their elderly neighbors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Happy Holidays Neighbor! ” campaign helps prevent senior isolation during the holidays by connecting them with local neighbors.

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. 

Hero Recharge Program gives outdoor adventures to front line medical workers

Medical workers on the front lines of the pandemic deserve the world — or at least a really, really good break once in a while. Enter the Hero Recharge program, which provides free outdoor adventures, like surfing, rock climbing and mountain biking, to hundreds of frontline health care workers in major cities across the United States.

#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.