January 13, 2022 - Spring 2022: Important Reminders on Boosters and Face Coverings

Key Takeaways:

 

Dear undergraduate, graduate, and professional students,

 

Happy New Year. While the holiday break allowed us time to rejuvenate, it also presented a challenge in our strategy to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 as the omicron variant continues to surge. As we prepare to return to campus for spring semester, we want to remind you about spring 2022 campus COVID-19 vaccination/booster protocols.

 

Get a vaccine booster

Students are required to get a vaccine booster as soon as they qualify per CDC recommendations. The booster should be obtained no later than the official start of instruction on Jan. 18 (or by the first day you are on campus if you will be on campus before Jan. 18). Please review the instructions for how to update your vaccination record in eTang with your booster information. For those who have not yet obtained their booster:

  • On-Campus: See details on UHS vaccine clinics (capacity is limited).

  • Off-Campus: You may also be able to obtain a vaccine booster through an outside health care provider. If you do so, remember to update your vaccination record in eTang with your booster information.

 

It is important that you understand that public health quarantine and isolation requirements are now more stringent for those who have not received their boosters. If you are identified by contact tracing as a close contact to a positive case and you are boosted, then you will not be required to quarantine. But if you are not boosted, then you will be required to quarantine. If you live in campus residential halls and apartments refer to Cal Housing-specific details. Most importantly, being boosted - if you are due - provides significant added protection against severe disease.

 

Face coverings

Face coverings are still required indoors in campus buildings and off-campus in the City of Berkeley. These requirements will be the same as those that were in place at the end of the fall semester.

 

A special note on face covering types: Public health authorities now find many cloth face coverings are inadequate, and are instead recommending surgical masks, KN95, KF94, or N95 masks in indoor settings. Please utilize these as much as possible. Need a mask? See how students can pick up limited free face coverings starting January 18.

 

Lastly, our student services may be impacted in the coming weeks (such as shifts in hours) by the ongoing pandemic, and we ask for your patience and understanding during this time. We recommend that you check with the website of the service you’re attempting to contact to find their most current operation details. Also, most of UC Berkeley’s libraries have once again opened their doors. All visitors — vaccinated or not — must wear face coverings inside each library, including in meeting spaces, in line with public health guidelines. (Visitors aren’t required to wear face coverings if they’re alone in a room with the door closed.) Food and drinks are not allowed in libraries this semester. Learn more about the libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and see the libraries’ hours.

 

We are counting on our community of Golden Bears to help us reduce virus transmission this spring; please do your part to get vaccinated.

 

Sincerely,

 

Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

 

Anna Harte, MD
Medical Director

 

Guy Nicolette, MD, CAQSM
Assistant Vice Chancellor

 

This message was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students.