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.

April 12 - Updates on COVID-19

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A conservator restores a painting that UCI’s Institute and Museum of California Art

A conservator restores a painting that UCI’s Institute and Museum of California Art hopes to display in its first exhibit since the pandemic began. Scroll down for story. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Face coverings available for UCI employees

If you’re an employee who is approved to return to campus and need a mask, EHS has you covered. Just have your supervisor email a request with the department name and number of employees to safety@uci.edu. EHS will respond with a pickup time. If you’re already on campus and need a backup face covering, email EHS.

One new campus case over weekend*

One student resident and no on-campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 from Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Kim Kanatani, director of UCI’s Institute and Museum of California Art, admires “Tree of Life” by Carlos Almaraz, a pioneer in the Chicano art movement.

Kim Kanatani, director of UCI’s Institute and Museum of California Art, admires “Tree of Life” by Carlos Almaraz, a pioneer in the Chicano art movement. Steve Zylius / UCI

UCI museum gears up for summer exhibit

Closed since March 2020, UCI’s acclaimed Institute and Museum of California Art is preparing a new exhibit of works from the Gerald E. Buck and Irvine Museum collections, which it hopes to display this summer.

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 announces test run of vaccine passports

Orange County’s health care agency says it will launch a pilot program this month to test “digital passports,” which a vaccinated person could use to enter places where strangers inevitably mix, such as at conferences, meetings, concerts and sporting events.

Loneliness, anxiety and loss: The pandemic’s toll on children

A year of school shutdowns and family trauma leads to social isolation, stress and mental-health issues.

White House says pediatricians will likely give vaccines to kids

COVID vaccinations for children aged 12 to 15 may be available by early fall and will likely be administered through pediatricians’ offices, according to the White House.

Supreme Court blocks California rules limiting Bible studies

The Supreme Court said California can’t enforce coronavirus-related restrictions on home-based religious worship, including Bible studies and prayer meetings.

L.A. opens vaccine appointments to residents 16 and up

Los Angeles has begun scheduling COVID vaccine appointments for residents who are 16 and older. Vaccinations for that group at city-run sites will start Tuesday.

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.

Ten signs that things are getting back to normal

We’re not out of the woods yet, but parts of pre-pandemic life are returning, from Hollywood movie openings to a “Friends” reunion finally taping. And a World of Concrete confab in Las Vegas.

The 9-year-old whose kindness spurred an army of volunteers

Hana Fatima’s small pandemic gesture snowballed into a volunteer delivery network for vulnerable people.

#UCIconnected

Sabrina Alexandra LacayoVaccine selfies: For friends and family

Sabrina Alexandra Lacayo, an RA in Middle Earth, says she got vaccinated “because I feel like it’s my responsibility to take care of myself and, by doing so, I’m taking care of the people surrounding me as well. I care very much about my friends and loved ones, and this releases a little bit of weight off my shoulders.” She adds that getting the vaccine “felt like I was witnessing history right before my very eyes” and “I am looking forward to giving my niece the biggest kiss on the cheek whenever I get to see her again!”

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 COVID-19 vaccination, 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.