Covid-19 Information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Respiratory Virus Guidance, provides actions you can take to help protect yourself and others from health risks caused by respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The CDC recommends you seek health care promptly for testing and treatment when you are sick if you have risk factors for severe illness, treatment may help lower your risk of severe illness. COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, such as getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others.
Isolation
UCSC students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will need to follow CDC isolation instructions (attached below). The CDC recommends that people stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after both their symptoms are getting better overall, and they haven’t had a fever (and aren’t using fever-reducing medication). The guidance encourages added precaution over the next five days after the “stay-at-home” period is over. The period of added precaution includes using prevention strategies, such as taking more steps for cleaner air; enhancing hygiene practices; wearing a well-fitting mask; and/or keeping a distance from others; and gettng tested for respiratory viruses can lower the chance of spreading respiratory viruses to others.
Reporting COVID-19
COVID-19 requires all of us to be even more attentive to our health, regularly checking for symptoms associated with the virus.
For faculty, staff, and student employees: Continue to self-assess your health status and possible COVID symptoms each day before coming to a UCSC owned or leased facility. If you experience COVID-19 symptoms, stay home, inform your supervisor, and contact your healthcare provider.
If a COVID-19 positive test result is received please follow the COVID-19 positive test result instructions (attached below) for employees.
Face Coverings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health guidelines state that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should take added precautions for the next 5 days with the use of masks. The use of a mask is an additional prevention strategy that can help lower the risk of transmission.
Free COVID-19 At-Home Tests
The federal government announced on Thursday, September 26, 2024, that each household is eligible to receive four at-home test kits, which can be requested from the following link: COVIDTests.gov starting today. The test will be shipped at no cost commencing next week through the US Postal Service.
Vaccines
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
On June 26, 2024, the University of California released the finalized Policy on Vaccination Programs (attached below). The purpose of this policy is to facilitate protection of the health and safety of the University community, including its patients as well as its students, personnel and all others who work, live, and/or learn in any of the University’s locations or otherwise participate in person in University programs.
The University strongly recommends that all members of the University community stay Up-To-Date with COVID-19 vaccination as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) applicable to their age, medical condition, and other relevant indications.
The UC Santa Cruz COVID-19 vaccine requirements consist of an opt-out program. Covered Individuals must receive Vaccine Education concerning COVID-19 and vaccination as a preventive measure; and receive COVID-19 vaccination and complete and submit the Up-To-Date on Vaccine self-attestation form. Those who choose to decline COVID-19 vaccination must complete a Vaccine Declination Statement form. Covered Individuals who initially decline COVID-19 vaccination but later decide to become vaccinated may receive the Vaccine at any time and may provide notification.
New personnel must provide proof of being Up-To-Date on COVID-19 vaccination or properly decline such vaccination within 14 calendar days of the first date of employment. If the 14th calendar day after the first date of employment falls on a weekend or University holiday, the deadline will be the next business day that is not a University holiday. Student employees are subject to the deadlines applicable to students.
Vaccine Education is communication of the following information about a Vaccine-preventable illness through any combination of Vaccine Information Statements, other written information, verbal communications, or online or in-person training programs as required.
- The potential health consequences of Vaccine-preventable illness for Covered Individuals, family
members and other contacts, coworkers, patients and the community; - Occupational exposure to Vaccine-preventable disease;
- The epidemiology and modes of transmission, diagnosis, and NPIs (Non-Pharmaceutical
Interventions), consistent with the Covered Individual’s level of responsibility in preventing
Vaccine-preventable infections; - The potential benefits of vaccination; and
- The safety profile and risks of the Vaccine.
COVID-19 Up-To-Date on Vaccines or Vaccine Declination
All employees are required to complete the Up-To-Date on Vaccine Self-Attestation or Vaccine Declination Statement form for Staff and Academic Personnel. If you have questions about the vaccine policy and whether it applies to your situation, you can email incident@ucsc.edu.
Contact Tracing
Covid-19 Contact Tracing Process:
Please follow the following steps to self-report positive COVID-19 result.
- Notify your supervisor or manager of your COVID-19 result.
- Apprise your healthcare provider of your COVID-19 status.
- Notify Risk Services to apprise of positive result:
- Cindy Delgado, Director, Risk Services, (831) 459-1787, cadelgad@ucsc.edu or Michelle Sohnlein, Workers’ Compensation & Occupational Disability Manager, (831) 459-2850, msohnlei@ucsc.edu.
- Provide Risk Services with the following information:
- Location on campus where employee was working and dates worked.
- Date of Positive Test.
- Employee contact information.
Once the information is received, Risk Services will proceed as follows with contact tracing:
- Contact the employee to conduct the contact tracing process.
- Provide confidential notification to close contacts of potential exposure, as applicable.
- Provide the employee with the isolation period and benefit and resource information.
- Provide notification of potential exposure to COVID-19 to the employee’s supervisor for distribution, as applicable.
For Questions
Contact Cindy Delgado at cadelgad@ucsc.edu or 831-459-1787.
Contact Michelle Söhnlein at msohnlei@ucsc.edu or 831-459-2850.