This page will be periodically updated with new information about the COVID-19 pandemic in San Diego and how the pandemic affects University policies and UC San Diego students.
The September 28, 2023 update concludes the COVID-19 updates for the 2022-23 school year.
Last updated: September 28, 2023 at 6:20 p.m.
FALL QUARTER 2023 — September 28, 2023:
Changes have been made to the UC Vaccination policy. According to a new vaccination policy issued on August 17, all individuals, including students, can opt out of the COVID-19 vaccination requirement. This means that incoming students do not have to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination to attend classes at UCSD.
According to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, as of September 26, 2023, 13,929 students and 5,484 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 1, 2020.
SPRING QUARTER 2023 — May 11, 2023:
Chancellor Khosla sent out a campus notice to UCSD students and faculty on May 11 announcing the end of UCSD’s Return to Learn program, three years after it was created in May 2020. This announcement corresponds with the U.S. government ending the COVID-19 public health emergency (which was first announced in January 2020) on May 11.
UCSD will follow the COVID-19 guidelines set by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). Additionally, with the discontinuation of the Return to Learn program, individuals can go to the Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) COVID-19 website to find COVID-19 resources and information relating to vaccination requirements, COVID-19 testing, and masking guidance. The Return to Learn Updates newsletter has also been retired, and news announcements pertaining to COVID-19 will be communicated through campus notices or the campus newsletter, UC San Diego Today.
Employees and students who come to UCSD’s campus are no longer required to complete the Daily Symptom Screener. However, the EH&S COVID-19 webpage recommends individuals who are feeling unwell to fill out the symptom screener. While symptomatic testing is no longer required, UCSD still strongly encourages individuals to take a COVID-19 test when they have symptoms associated with COVID-19 or after they are exposed to COVID-19. Masks remain required in clinical areas and are optional in non-healthcare situations.
While the Return to Learn program comes to an end, some operations will remain. The UC Vaccination policy is still in effect, the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard will remain active, UCSD wastewater testing will continue, rapid antigen tests will still be available in vending machines on campus, and masks will be available in campus vending machines before the 2023-24 academic year. If individuals need a mask, EH&S can provide masks by request.
WINTER QUARTER 2023 — January 9, 2023:
Winter Quarter 2023 marks the first quarter since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic where masks are not required in classrooms, UCSD transportation, and labs. However, clinical areas still require masks.
December 16, 2022:
In an email sent to all UCSD students and staff on November 4, Chancellor Khosla announced that starting December 16, masking will be optional in labs, classrooms, and on Triton transportation.
Masking will still be required in all clinical settings, and wearing a mask is recommended in all public settings, especially indoors, due to increasing numbers of COVID-19, flu, and other respiratory virus cases.
The COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites at the La Jolla Medical Center drive-up location and the Recreational Gym, which is adjacent to Main Gym, will close on December 16.
Individuals who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine booster and asymptomatic on-campus residents are no longer required to take weekly COVID-19 tests. PCR test kits will still be available in the vending machines on campus for people who experience symptoms.
According to the Winter Quarter Move-In Guidelines in theReturn to Learn updates email sent on December 15, residential students should take a rapid antigen test within 24 to 48 hours before returning to campus for Winter Quarter 2023. Individuals can obtain rapid antigen tests from the campus vending machines, at these pick-up locations, or at https://www.covid.gov/tests.
On-campus students must also complete a COVID-19 PCR test on the day they return to UCSD, another on the third day after their arrival, and wear a mask in their residential suites until Phase 2 is announced.
At the beginning of winter quarter, students can make vaccination appointments at Student Health Services.
According to the UCSD COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, COVID-19 case numbers have been rising since early November, increased sharply after Thanksgiving Break, and then decreased after finals week. The decline in case numbers is likely caused by students leaving UCSD to return home or travel during Winter Break.
In the week after Thanksgiving Break, (between November 27 and December 3), 219 students and 94 campus employees tested positive for COVID-19. During finals week (between December 4 and December 10), 139 students and 46 campus employees tested positive for COVID-19. The COVID-19 case numbers on the dashboard may understate the true case number counts due to the prevalence of at-home COVID-19 tests.
The 14-day rolling COVID-19 positivity rate for UCSD students was 3.35% on November 14, increased to 7.44% on November 28, reached a peak at 11.46% on December 8, and dropped to 10.14% on December 14. The 14-day rolling COVID-19 positivity rate for UCSD employees was 3.56% on November 14, increased to 7.33% on November 28, reached a peak at 9.78% on December 6, and dropped to 6.81% on December 14.
1,038 students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of fall quarter on September 19, which is 8.3% of the 12,432 total positive COVID-19 cases recorded in students since March 1, 2020. 428 campus employees also tested positive for COVID-19 during this period.
November 4, 2022:
This fall and winter, the presence of three respiratory viruses — COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — have led to concerns about a “tripledemic” in the U.S. According to Dr. Robert “Chip” Schooley, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, wearing a mask remains an effective way to prevent infection because all three respiratory viruses are transmitted by aerosols.
Schooley noted that while a new variant would dominate over the other variants in the past, now there are several COVID-19 variants circulating at the same time. Currently, the two dominant COVID-19 strains are BA.4.6 and BA.5, which began as Omicron variants in the summer. Three new strains are coming as winter approaches: BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BF.7.
A campus notice addressed to academics and staff at UCSD announced that the University of California has implemented a Policy on Vaccination Programs that requires all students, faculty, and staff to attest if they have or have not received the flu vaccine by November 18.
September 28, 2022:
On-campus residential housing has moved to Phase 2, meaning students are no longer required to wear face masks in their residential buildings. Additionally, students are now allowed to have visitors in their residential units.
FALL QUARTER 2022 — September 22, 2022:
Similar to courses in Fall Quarter 2021 and Spring Quarter 2022, classes will mainly be taught in-person in Fall Quarter 2022.
The Academic Senate did not grant an exception to continue allowing non-R courses, or in-person courses, in the 2022-23 school year to be taught remotely, ending the emergency remote instruction that was allowed from Spring 2020 to Summer 2022. However, up to 49% of a course is allowed to be taught remotely without the R-course designation.
Masking is optional except in indoor classrooms and other instructional environments, on Triton or University transportation, and clinical areas. Masks are required in residential buildings and for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19. At events, masking is recommended but not required, and students and staff no longer have to show their daily symptom screener (green thumb).
Students living on campus must complete a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours of arriving at UCSD and on the fifth day after their arrival. If their PCR test result comes back negative, they no longer have to wear a mask in their residential buildings. Students who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 60 days, fully recovered from COVID-19, and have ended their isolation period do not need to take the PCR test or wear a mask.
In a statement addressed to students and staff at UC San Diego on September 9, 2022, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla announced that new Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines are available. These new vaccines were created to provide additional protection against the newer Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains and are intended for individuals who have received COVID-19 vaccines, whether or not they have received the booster.
Students and campus employees can schedule appointments to receive vaccinations and bivalent booster shots at the La Jolla Medical Center drive-up vaccination center and the Recreational Gym, which is adjacent to Main Gym. Students can also go to CVS or Rite Aid pharmacies to receive a second booster shot. Currently, the second booster dose is not required.
Visit the Return to Learn website for more information about testing, isolation, masking, and other campus guidelines.
Elizabeth Peng is the News Editor for The Triton.