The Times, They Are A'Changing (on Monday)

Back in the day

From an email circulated yesterday:

Dear Bruin Community:

We hope your summer has been going well as we all look forward to another exciting academic year. As we prepare for fall, the COVID-19 Recovery and Response Task Force continues to monitor COVID-19 and now monkeypox case rates and develop appropriate strategies, protocols and resources to help our community navigate these public health challenges.

As the pandemic evolves and the severity of illness seems to be waning, we are adjusting our campus protocols to better align with current public health conditions in line with the transitions that have already occurred at other academic institutions, and within the county and state. Please see the updates below.

 

Note: Those who work in UCLA Health clinical areas (including medical, dental and nursing clinics) must follow the COVID-19 protocols for healthcare settings. However, those who work in both clinical and non-clinical settings must also comply with these campus protocols when outside of the healthcare environment. UCLA PreK-12 facilities (including early care and education centers, UCLA Lab School and Geffen Academy) will follow specific protocols that will be communicated separately from the schools.

1. Daily Symptom Monitoring Survey

Beginning Monday, Aug. 15, completion of the UCLA daily symptom monitoring survey will no longer be required for students, faculty and staff who live, learn or work at UCLA or at other UCLA properties. Instead, individuals are asked to complete a self-assessment of COVID-19 symptoms and not come to campus, attend classes and/or leave your residence if symptoms are present. Organizers of campus events will still have the option to conduct their own pre-entry negative test and/or vaccination checks as long as it is applied consistently across all events managed by that entity. These checks should follow LACDPH Guidance for Smaller Events & Cultural Institutions and Mega Events since the UCLA symptom survey will no longer be available.

Following the retirement of the symptom monitoring system, the platform will be modified and repurposed as the new UCLA COVID-19 Action Center, effective Tuesday, Aug. 16, where users can:

Submit proof of vaccination or request an exception to the COVID-19 UC Vaccination Policy Update/change remote status or data privacy settings Upload COVID-19 test results from outside the UCLA testing system Quickly access the latest protocol updates and other information and resources

2. Indoor Masking

Beginning, Monday, Aug. 15, indoor masking will be strongly encouraged but no longer required on the UCLA campus or at UCLA facilities, except where LACDPH still requires masks be worn indoors, like health care settings, transportation hubs and public transportation in L.A. County. See LACDPH Mask Wearing Rules and Recommendations for details. Masking is also still required following early release from isolation or quarantine.

A highly protective mask (i.e. surgical, N95, KN95 or KP94) while indoors with others is strongly recommended, and supplies remain available free of charge for students, faculty and staff at the UCLA PPE Store, the John Wooden Center, residence hall front desks, the Student Activities Center and in Ackerman Union at the A-level information window (next to the post office). Outdoor masking remains optional though strongly recommended when in large crowds or at events.

3. Quarantine/Isolation Protocols

Adherence to the latest UCLA isolation/quarantining policies (PDF) is essential for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or in limited situations have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive. It is important to remember that the contagious period may begin as early as two days prior to the onset of symptoms.

Changes to our campus policies include:

Positive tests performed outside of the UCLA testing program must be reported through the UCLA COVID-19 Action Center (formerly known as the Symptom Monitoring System) beginning Aug. 16 and to the appropriate UCLA COVID-19 Hotline: Students: Call the Ashe COVID Hotline at 310-206-6217 and/or send an email to exposuremanagementteam@ashe.ucla.edu Faculty and Staff: Call the UCLA COVID Call Center at 310-267-3300  Those who test positive must isolate for 10 days unless the Criteria for Early Release from Isolation below are met. As a reminder, those who are exposed to a COVID-19-infected individual but remain asymptomatic are not required to quarantine, provided certain masking and other rules are adhered to following exposure.  See latest isolation/quarantining policies (PDF) for specific details.

4. COVID-19 Testing

Weekly COVID-19 testing is still no longer required; however, UCLA students, staff and faculty may continue to test up to twice weekly through the campus vending machine system if they are concerned they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Those who test positive through the UCLA testing program will be contacted by the UCLA Exposure Management Team for isolation instructions. Diagnostic testing is still required in certain situations in line with the UCLA Isolation and Quarantine Protocol (PDF).

5. Vaccinations and Boosters

Vaccination is one of the most important strategies for preventing severe illness from COVID-19 and optimizing the outcomes for those who become infected. This is especially important for those who are part of high-risk and/or vulnerable populations. UCLA faculty, staff and students who are living, learning or working on UCLA properties are required to provide proof of vaccine and COVID-19 boosters (when eligible), or request an exception. See UCLA COVID-19 Public Health Mitigation Requirements (PDF) and CDC COVID-19 Booster Guidance for details.

As a reminder, those who have been fully remote and now plan to return to in-person work, class, etc., including in a hybrid fashion, must visit the UCLA COVID-19 Action Center to:

Change remote status Upload proof of vaccination or request an exception

The full list of UCLA COVID-19 protocols can be viewed on the Table Summary of COVID-19 Recommendations and Requirements (PDF). Starting Aug. 16, there will also be an option on the UCLA COVID-19 Action Center to navigate the various campuswide policies.

6. Campuswide Town Hall: Aug. 23 from 1 – 2 p.m.*

To keep the entire UCLA community informed and up to date on COVID-19 mitigation changes and to share information about monkeypox, we invite you to join us and campus health experts for a virtual town hall on Tuesday, Aug. 23 from 1 – 2 p.m. The event will be an informative opportunity to learn more about the status of COVID-19 and monkeypox in the local community and receive updates regarding our health and safety protocols. Register here and submit questions in advance.

We thank you for your continued attention to the evolving challenges associated with COVID-19 and more recently with monkeypox. Resilience is something that our community is known for, and we are confident in our collective ability and desire to do what is needed to keep ourselves and those around us healthy.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Beck Administrative Vice Chancellor Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force Megan McEvoy Professor, Institute for Society and Genetics,      Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force =========================== *Townhall panelists will include: • Dr. Annabelle De St. Maurice, chief infection prevention officer for UCLA Health • Dr. Peter Katona, clinical professor of medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; adjunct professor of public health • Dr. Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and infectious disease division of the Geffen School of Medicine • Michelle Sityar, chief of staff to the administrative vice chancellor ================= Note: At around the same time the above notice went out, the Faculty Club sent an email with the picture below and the message, "We are excited to finally open our doors and see you after being closed for 2 years! Safety is our main priority as well as UCLA's priority. Mask mandates are still in place while indoors.": It is likely that the two messages crossed in the (e)mail. Yours truly was at the BBQ Thursday last week. Most - not all - people had masks on when inside the Faculty Club. The staff all had masks.