In-person instruction to resume on Jan. 31
COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
Dear Bruin Community:
We are pleased to report that UCLA will be returning to in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 31. We are able to make this transition due to improving conditions, including decreasing case and test positivity rates at UCLA and in L.A. County, as well as increased compliance with the new campus COVID-19 testing protocols and vaccine booster requirements announced last month.
Although the majority of our courses will switch to in-person instruction, some classes may continue with remote instruction as outlined in a message from the Academic Senate earlier this week (PDF). Instructors and/or academic departments will update class locations or modalities as appropriate, and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Students will be able to process winter quarter late drops through MyUCLA with no fee through Friday, Mar. 4.
For students with concerns related to accessibility or accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessible Education for assistance and resources.
Staff who have been working remotely and were planning to return to in-person work during January should follow their departments’ staffing plans. Departments are encouraged to offer flexible working options per the flexwork guide for managers (PDF), as appropriate for their operational needs.
As we return to campus, it is also imperative that we follow established campus protocols that help keep the Bruin community healthier and reduce the spread of COVID-19. Failure to comply with COVID-19 protocols may result in disciplinary procedures.
See below for information about current safety protocols.
Please note: Those who work in clinical settings (including medical, dental and nursing clinics) must follow the COVID-19 protocols for healthcare settings.
COVID-19 boosters
All UCLA students, faculty and staff must comply with the UC systemwide vaccine policy (PDF), which requires COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all who are eligible. Individuals have 30 days from when they become eligible to provide proof of the booster. Employees’ proof of a booster vaccine must be submitted through UCLA’s COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Vaccine Verification System by Monday, Feb. 7. A communication was sent to booster-eligible students on Jan. 18, and to faculty and staff on Jan. 20.
COVID-19 testing
Students, faculty and staff returning to UCLA for the first time this quarter must follow the return testing requirements for those working, learning or living on UCLA property (excluding clinical settings), regardless of vaccination status. Below is a summary:
Testing prior to return to UCLA
Faculty, staff and students who have not yet returned to Westwood to work, learn or live, and are not participating in regular UCLA weekly COVID-19 testing, should take a COVID-19 test from their provider of choice (a rapid home antigen test is acceptable) no more than 72 hours prior to their return to Westwood.
Testing upon initial return to UCLA
Students, faculty and staff who have not yet returned to campus must obtain a negative rapid test result on the day they return to campus but before they engage in work, classes or any other activity. Individuals needing a test can obtain them from the temporary testing site located outside the east entrance of Pauley Pavilion on Monday, Jan. 31 and Tuesday, Feb. 1 from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Pauley East Plaza, entrance: Door 111A/B).
Faculty and staff may also check with their departments to see if they have rapid test kits that can be used in lieu of visiting the Pauley testing site. Departments may contact Bryan Ruiz (bruiz@ehs.ucla.edu) at Environment, Health & Safety, to request rapid test kits.
Returning students who live in UCLA housing facilities will test upon arrival and be given further instructions from Housing about check-in and testing protocols.
Testing 3–5 days after initial return
All students, faculty and staff must take another test three to five days after returning to UCLA. This test must be obtained from a campus vending machine or distribution center.
Regular weekly testing
All students, faculty and staff who are living, learning and/or working on campus or other UCLA properties — regardless of vaccination status — must continue to test at least 1x per week (i.e., no more than 7 days apart) through the free COVID-19 campus vending machines and distribution centers for the duration of winter quarter per the UCLA Community Screening Protocol (PDF). Testing 2x per week is strongly recommended. These requirements are subject to modification as conditions change.
UCLA community members are also encouraged to use the new federal government program to order up to four free rapid COVID-19 antigen tests for delivery to their permanent home addresses. Please note, however, that these tests do not satisfy UCLA’s weekly testing requirement for those who are living, learning and/or working on campus or other UCLA properties — that testing will still need to be done via campus vending machines and distribution centers.
Masking
All faculty, staff and students must also continue to follow regular campus health protocols, including wearing face masks indoors. Per UCLA’s updated masking protocols, all students, faculty and staff must wear well-fitting medical-grade masks, surgical masks, KN95s or National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health-approved respirators such as an N95, in all areas where masking is required on UCLA property. For employees, this means all indoor spaces while at the workplace. We continue to strongly encourage members of the community also to wear masks in outdoor environments while among other people. Masks are required both indoors and outdoors when attending a “mega event.”
Students may obtain upgraded masks free of charge at various campus locations including (but not limited to) the John Wooden Center; Student Activities Center; and ASUCLA locations including UCLA Store locations, the Ackerman Union Information Window and Ackerman indoor dining locations. Upgraded masks will also be available at the front desk of any of our residence halls. Students will need to show their Bruin ID card at the time of pick up.
Faculty and staff may obtain free upgraded masks from their departments.
Please note that per the LACDPH Upgraded Mask Guidance, these respirators and medical/surgical masks are designed for one-time use. They should be thrown away once they become wet or dirty OR after they are no longer well-fitting (1-3 days depending on the mask), whichever comes first. Students, faculty and staff may request masks needed for the week, unless the mask becomes heavily soiled or damaged, in which case another mask can be requested.
Daily symptom monitoring and compliance survey
Those living, learning or working on UCLA property must continue to complete the UCLA COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Vaccine Verification System survey before accessing campus each day, regardless of vaccination status.
We know these shifts and changes have been challenging to navigate and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we once again return. Thank you again for your commitment to the health of our Bruin community as we return to a fuller and more active UCLA campus.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
Jody Kreiman
Chair, Academic Senate
Professor of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Megan McEvoy
Professor, Institute for Society and Genetics,
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics
Co-chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force
