Aug. 6 - The Olympics then and now, indoor masking
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A red succulent on the UCI campus. Photo by Ian Parker
Each day, a UCI expert will answer one of your questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.
Today’s question is fielded by David Souleles, director of UCI’s COVID-19 Response Team:
I’m vaccinated. Why do I need to wear a mask again inside?
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, masking has proven to be an effective tool at helping to reduce the spread of the virus. This continues to be the case, even with the emergence of the delta variant, and it’s why federal and state public health officials are now recommending that all people, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks while indoors. A recent COVID-19 outbreak on the East Coast suggests that those who are fully vaccinated and become infected with the delta variant may be able to also transmit the virus — and that is the basis for the recommendation for all to mask indoors.
CAMPUS UPDATES
UCI’S 2021 staff engagement survey launches Monday
On Monday, staff will receive an email from Gallup to take the biennial staff engagement survey. The questionnaire, which should take 10 to 15 minutes to finish, is completely confidential. The results of the survey will drive program improvements that directly benefit and affect our co-workers and workplace. If you don’t receive the email from Gallup, you can access the survey here, starting Monday.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
The Olympics - then and now
The first Olympics in recorded history, in 776 B.C.E., featured only one athletic competition — a 600-foot race — and the Games operated mainly as a religious festival until the modern Olympics began in 1896. How else have the Olympics changed? Zina Giannopoulou, associate professor of classics, contrasts the ancient and modern versions.
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Through the decades, dozens of UCI athletes have competed in the Games.
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The 1932 Olympics transformed Los Angeles, and Billy Garland played the crucial role in bringing the Games to the City of Angels. UCI professor and literary journalism program director Barry Siegel recounts the saga in his book Dreamers and Schemers: How an Improbable Bid for the 1932 Olympics Transformed Los Angeles from Dusty Outpost to Global Metropolis.
- The Olympic Games celebrate fraternity and peace, and in each Olympic Village the host country creates a display to share that message. In his latest Postcard from Tokyo, UCI women's water polo head coach Dan Klatt, who is an assistant coach on the U.S. Women's National Team, writes about Japan’s truce mural, which is a wooden display of interlocking pieces made of Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Friday fun fact
Summer session: Over three-quarters of UC undergraduates report taking summer courses at their home UC campus.
California mandates vaccines for indoor healthcare workers, largely removing a testing option
California is now requiring all healthcare personnel who work indoors with or near patients to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, largely removing an option that let unvaccinated employees submit to regular testing instead, The New York Times reports.
UCI IN THE NEWS
‘World’s oldest’ coin factory discovered in China
National Geographic, Aug. 5
Cited: Bill Maurer, professor of anthropology and dean of the School of Social Sciences
Yes, the Pandemic Is Bad Again
The Atlantic, Aug. 6
Cited: Andrew Noymer, associate professor of public health
To Remember The Moment, Try Taking Fewer Photos
NPR, Aug. 5
Cited: Elizabeth Loftus, distinguished professor of psychological science
#UCICONNECTED
“Covering the Olympics has been such an extraordinarily challenging yet amazing experience. This role is not about being first; it’s about being right and upholding the gold standard and integrity NBC Sports has had while covering the Games for so many decades.” – Henry Curi ’20, literary journalism, describing his role as an editorial researcher for NBC
#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.
COVID-19 NOTIFICATION AND RESOURCES
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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.
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UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health