Message from Associate Dean Penner – Returning from Winter Break

Saturday, January 1, 2022
 
Dear Friends,

This is an important revision of the email you received yesterday.  Red text has been replaced by green text.  The rest of the email is unchanged, for your records. 

Some important information with links is provided below:
  • In conversations with the Office of Research and others yesterday, we have obtained clarifications relating to proposed sequestration measures described in the posting by Vice-Chancellor Banks on Dec. 21.
  • Specifically, the message (https://uci.edu/coronavirus/messages/211222-return-to-campus-students.php) is directed towards undergraduate students receiving instruction on campus.  Students, both undergraduate and graduate, are permitted to go to work, including in research laboratories, during the defined sequestration period.  Administrative and research staff return to work protocols are described in this message from Ramona Agrela dated 12/22/21
  • Winter Quarter return-to-Campus guidance for students, staff, and faculty is provided at this website.  Please read this carefully.
  • Amongst other provisions is the requirement for sequestration for a minimum of 7 days (Jan 3 - Jan 10) for all students who either remained on Campus during the break, or returned to campus from out of town prior to Jan 3, 2022, assuming both antigen tests conducted during this period are negative.
  • This means that all research laboratories will be shuttered during this 1 week period.  
  • As in Fall Quarter, we will continue to adhere to COVID protocols that are aligned with those of the Campus.
  • The Chancellor has determined that Campus instruction will operate remotely for the first two weeks of the Quarter.  After this period, a decision will be made regarding the instruction mode moving forward.
  • Cases should be reported to the COVID hotline (949 824 9918, or  https://www.hr.uci.edu/reportcovid/), which will activate contact tracing.  Any necessary additional measures will be based upon the outcome of this process. 
  • David SoulelesDirector for COVID-19 Response on the UCI Campus, has looked specifically at researchers on the Campus and concluded that additional measures are not required, such as those we implemented here in the School early in the pandemic.
  • If you have specific questions that are not addressed by the existing Campus policies, please do refer these to myself.  I will be consulting with the School's Committee on COVID on such issues.
We wish you success with your work, your teaching, and your research this quarter!  

Sincerely yours,
Reg