Dear SOH faculty, staff, and graduate instructors,
As the Chancellor communicated to the campus last night, because of the current surge of new cases of COVID-19 and the high rate of transmissibility of the Omicron variant, remote instruction will be extended until the end of January. The first day of in-person instruction is now projected to be January 31, by which point, according to current modeling, a significant drop in incidence is expected (though this is of course not wholly predictable and subject to change).
The School of Humanities also authorizes staff to work remotely Jan 18-28, with the exception of functions requiring onsite work such as Facilities and Computing, which will maintain some onsite service. Department offices will not be staffed in person during this time period, and services will be delivered virtually. Mail delivery will be reduced to 2 days/week, and available for pickup on the other days.
All meetings and events should be held virtually throughout January, unless there is a mission critical reason to meet onsite. Consider shifting February events to virtual delivery or prepare to do so should the pandemic conditions require it. Also, when meetings are held onsite, remember SOH is not currently permitting food indoors.
For instructors, we again suggest you review the resources on the DTEI TeachAnywhere site. If you need assistance, please contact DTEI or Dwayne Pack.
Please take reasonable precautions to remain safe from exposure to the COVID-19 virus: wear a mask indoors, practice physical distancing, limit your exposure to larger gatherings, avoid contact with unvaccinated persons, ensure you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including a booster shot. Boosters are now mandated for all UCI employees and students, except those with approved exceptions; you must upload proof of having received your booster shot by January 31, which is our currently expected date of return to in-person instruction. As noted in the January 2nd message to campus, even if you are asymptomatic, we encourage you to get a test within 72 hours before returning to campus.
Employees and students can receive Covid- 19 Asymptomatic Testing on campus for free by appointment or walk in.
Employees: https://hr.uci.edu/partnership/futureofwork/asymptomatic-testing.php.
Students: https://shc.uci.edu/.
Stay safe and be well,
Tyrus Miller, Dean
Yong Chen, Associate Dean
Penny Portillo, Assistant Dean