This page will be periodically updated with new information about the coronavirus situation in San Diego and how the new COVID-19 variants will affect university policies and UC San Diego students.
March 1, 2022:
COVID case numbers have decreased sharply over the past few weeks of winter quarter. According to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, there have been less than 30 positive test results per day since February 5. The percentages of positive COVID-19 cases have dropped for both UCSD students and employees to around 1.5%. 3,846 students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of winter quarter (between January 3 and February 28), which is 59% of the 6,494 total positive COVID cases diagnosed by UCSD since March 1, 2020. 2,421 campus employees also tested positive for COVID-19 during this period.
February 15, 2022:
California’s statewide indoor mask mandate ends today for vaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated individuals are still required to wear masks indoors, and people regardless of vaccination status still have to wear masks in places with higher risk such as public transit.
Although California has lifted its mask mandate, UCSD is still requiring all individuals to wear masks indoors on campus.
February 8, 2022:
Indoor dining on campus resumes today at Price Center, University Centers, and HDH dining locations.
January 31, 2022:
In-person instruction resumes today. The Educational Policy Committee of the UCSD Academic Senate has approved an exception that allows some courses to remain remote for the rest of the quarter without Senate approval. Instructors decided between teaching their courses in a hybrid in-person/remote format and a completely remote format before the end of January.
The percentages of positive COVID-19 cases have dropped for both UCSD students and employees to around 3%. According to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, 3,247 students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of winter quarter (between January 3 and January 30), which is 55% of the 5,887 total positive COVID cases diagnosed by UCSD since March 1, 2020. 1,477 campus employees also tested positive for COVID-19 during this period.
UCSD Recreation reopens its indoor facilities, including RIMAC and Main Gym, today. HDH dining locations are still open for takeout orders, with no indoor dining.
Transportation Services sent out an email informing students and employees to park in their respective permit zones. Students can check out the Parking Availability webpage, which Transportation Services will update four times each day during weeks 5 and 6. Triton Transit shuttles for Mesa South, Regents, Outside Loop, SIO, and Hillcrest Express are back in service and will run every 15 minutes. The Inside Loop is still suspended.
January 6, 2022:
In a statement addressed to students and staff at UCSD, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla announced that mandatory remote instruction will remain in place through the end of January 2022.
According to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, 1,129 students tested positive for COVID-19 between January 3 and January 6, which makes up close to 30% of the 3,761 total positive COVID cases diagnosed by UCSD since March 1, 2020. 390 campus employees also tested positive for COVID-19 during this period. The percentages of positive COVID-19 cases for both UCSD students and employees are just under 10%.
With more students returning to campus, this year’s post-winter break spike in COVID-19 cases is significantly larger compared to last year’s, when 203 students tested positive for COVID between January 4, 2021 and January 10, 2021.
According to the university, the extended period of online learning is intended to enforce social distancing while some students and staff are sick and allow time for the UCSD community to get their booster shots before returning to in-person classes on campus.
UCSD Recreation extended the closure of its indoor facilities, including RIMAC and Main Gym, from January 3 to January 31.
Geisel Library, Biomedical Library, Target, Price Center, and the General Store will remain open. Campus restaurants and dining halls are also open for takeout orders.
UC Irvine, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz have also extended remote instruction until the end of January. On January 7, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Berkeley also announced classes will be online until the end of January.
Transportation Services announced temporary parking and service adjustments via email. Students or employees with D permits can park in S and B parking spots until January 30 using the zone code 4762 on the ParkMobile app.
The Regents Shuttle will be on hiatus until in-person classes resume. The SIO and Outside Loop shuttles will run every 30 minutes, and the Grocery Shuttle to Clairemont/Convoy is back in service on Saturdays and Sundays.
January 3, 2022:
UCSD Recreation will have outdoor and online programming but has closed indoor facilities from January 3 to January 15. Among the closed facilities are RIMAC, Main Gym, Canyonview Fitness Gym, and Outback Climbing Center. Canyonview Aquatic Center’s swimming pools, Triton Fit Park, basketball courts, fields, tracks, and tennis courts are open for use.
As students return to the San Diego area following the holidays, 186 new COVID cases were detected on January 2 as students, according to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard.
December 22, 2021:
Chancellor Khosla emailed the UCSD community that the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) has mandated the COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all UC campuses. Students, faculty, and staff are required to receive their booster shots by January 31.
UCSD employees and students can make appointments to receive their boosters at Price Center and drive-up locations at La Jolla and Hillcrest Medical Centers. Visit the Return to Learn Vaccination website for more information on how to schedule a vaccine or booster appointment.
In a separate email sent to UCSD parents and families, the university announced that on campus residents who return to UCSD after week 1 will receive credits in their housing accounts. Students who arrive between January 8 and January 14 will receive a $325 credit and students who arrive between January 15 and January 22 will receive a $650 credit.
December 21, 2021:
According to an email Chancellor Khosla sent out to the student body on December 21, 2021, all classes will shift to a remote format for weeks 1 and 2 of Winter Quarter 2022 (January 3 to January 17).
The announcement encouraged students to get vaccinated and receive their booster shots as soon as possible. Students who have not received a vaccine and a booster shot are required to take a COVID test twice a week (between three and five days apart).
The email also noted that in-person activities must be rescheduled or shifted to remote settings. While athletic competitions will still take place, spectators cannot attend home games until January 18.
In an effort to prevent a return-to-campus surge, the university has encouraged students who live on campus to arrive at UCSD in a staggered manner.
UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz have also announced that their first two weeks of winter quarter instruction will be remote, while UC Davis announced that classes will be online for the first week of winter quarter.
UC Merced will have remote classes during the first week of their spring semester, which starts on January 18. UC Berkeley still plans to resume in-person instruction for their spring semester, which also starts on January 18.
December 13, 2021:
California announced a statewide mask mandate that requires individuals to wear masks in indoor public settings starting December 15, 2021. The one-month mandate will end on January 15 and comes with the rise in COVID cases in the state.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant in California and the U.S. was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on December 1, 2021. In San Diego, the first coronavirus case caused by omicron was announced on December 9, 2021.
The World Health Organization (WHO) named the new coronavirus variant Omicron and classified it as a Variant of Concern on November 26, 2021.
Sarah Naughten is the Assistant News Editor for The Triton. Elizabeth Peng is the News Editor for The Triton.