January 15 - Updates on COVID-19

If we use the tools we have, we stand the best chance of getting our families, communities, schools and workplaces “back-to-normal” sooner.

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

UCI will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Monday. Enjoy your three-day weekend and we’ll see you again on Tuesday. In the meantime, please consider this opinion piece in Forbes, contributed by Douglas Haynes, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, titled The Meaning Of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday In 2021.

Zot Bubbles allow graduate housing safe socializing

The Graduate and Family Housing team, in collaboration with campus public health
professionals, worked to create a process for residents in graduate family housing to form contained social groups called Zot Bubbles. This is different from the ZotPods in undergraduate housing. Read how Zot Bubbles work. The executive directive on gatherings has been updated to include Zot Bubbles. Current conditions in the county and state require everyone to Stay-at-Home to help ease impacts on our health care system. Once those orders are lifted, look for more information on how to “bubble up” with friends as the Graduate and Family Housing team unveils the Zot Bubbles registration process.

Where does your activity fall on the risk meter?

Student Housing residents can refer to the activities chart for their community for interactions that are approved during the Regional Stay At Home Order. Please see the updated activity chart for undergrads, and also an updated activity chart for graduate students. Both charts incorporate both the State’s Regional Stay-at-Home Order, as well as the County’s Purple Tier status.

New campus cases*

Twelve new positive cases were reported yesterday - eight students and four employees, bringing active positive cases to 152. Visit the UCI dashboard for additional data on case counts.

UC NEWS

UC awards $19M in grants to support groundbreaking research to benefit Californians

There are 15 research projects funded by the University of California’s 2021 Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) competition. These biannual awards are made by the University of California Office of the President to support research and discoveries in fields important to UC and to the people, environment and economy of California.

Friday Fun Fact

Staying local: 36 percent of freshmen entrants and 49 percent of transfer entrants enroll at a UC campus within 50 miles of their homes.

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.

California details plan to track school cases, reopening

California officials on Thursday ordered schools statewide to begin reporting new coronavirus cases within 24 hours and their reopening status every two weeks as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s broader effort to spur a return of kids to the classroom.

California urged to move inmates to front of vaccine line

Attorneys representing California inmates are urging state and federal officials to advance about 1 of every 10 prisoners to the front of the line for coronavirus vaccinations, saying it would help ease the burden on hospitals while helping control outbreaks inside state lockups.

Joe Biden’s COVID plan: It looks something like California’s

President-Elect Joe Biden unveiled a new COVID-19 plan that comes closer than ever before to aligning the federal pandemic response with that of the Golden State. The strategy, which includes more stimulus checks, a push to ramp up vaccine distribution, funding to help schools reopen and extended eviction protections mirrors the steps California’s leadership is taking.

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.

“I love you. You are loved. You matter. You do you. I love you,” she says. “That’s what I say.”

April DiDonna told a customer that she loved him after he ordered at the Wendy’s drive-thru where she works in Oak Harbor, Washington. Three months later, she’s told thousands of people “I love you.”

#UCIconnected

“Like all Anteaters, overnight we began working from home since March 2020. I know I am not alone. Especially with my kitty Theo helping me!”

- Dianna Sahhar ‘83 | Research Services Coordinator, UCI School of Law Library

If you have a shoutout, or if you’d like to share what you’ve been up to during the pandemic, send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering, etc., to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION

* Potential workplace exposure: UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.