UC website offers up-to-date COVID-19 news
March 9, 2020 | 1:55 p.m. PT
For updates on COVID-19, please see this page.
President Napolitano issues new directive on non-essential travel, virus response authority
March 5, 2020 | 5:00 p.m. PT
In response to rapidly changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, UC President Janet Napolitano issued a new directive today that restricts non-essential, University travel to countries designated CDC Level 2 and higher. The directive expands a Feb. 26 order that restricted non-essential travel to CDC Level 3 countries (China, Italy, Iran, and South Korea). Level 2 countries, defined as those with “sustained community transmission” of COVID-19, currently include just Japan as of March 5, but please go to the CDC site for the most current information.
In addition, individuals with recent travel history to Level 3 countries will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days and practice social distancing as a precaution.
President Napolitano also tasked UC’s Emergency Operations Management Response Team with the responsibility and authority to oversee the University’s response COVID-19. As such, all decision making authority has been delegated to Rachael Nava, chief operating officer for the UC Office of the President.
To ensure the health and safety of all members of the UC community, the University continues to plan for various scenarios and coordinate its response with state and federal authorities.
UC remains on front lines in fight against virus
March 4, 2020 | 11:00 a.m. PT
The University of California continues to closely monitor and quickly respond to local and national developments related to COVID-19.
UC Davis on Feb. 27 reported a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a Solano County resident undergoing treatment at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating the case as possibly the first patient with no known exposure to the virus through travel or contact with a known infected individual. This individual is not a UC faculty member, staff or student. Because of the precautions in place since this patient’s arrival at the medical center, UC officials believe there has been minimal potential for staff exposure at the hospital. Following this case, one UC Davis student was quarantined and tested for COVID-19 and two others were isolated off-campus. The test came back negative on Feb. 29 and the two students were released from isolation. You can read an update on the cases here.
UC President Janet Napolitano issued a new directive Feb. 26 against all non-essential, University-related travel to countries with a CDC Warning – Level 3 Travel Notice. This directive expands her Jan. 30 directive. Out of an abundance of caution, Napolitano further instructed UC community members traveling on University-related business in a country designated with a CDC Warning – Level 3 Travel Notice to immediately depart unless their campus or medical center deems their travel to be essential.
Moving forward, you can find information on UC’s response to the coronavirus here.
University coordinates response with state, federal officials
January 31, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. PT
The University of California is closely monitoring developments around the coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), UC Health physicians are vigilant and on alert to potential infectious disease presentations consistent with our protocols for patient care.
Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of a global health emergency on January 30, 2020, combined with CDC and State Department guidance, UC’s Office of the President issued a directive to the UC community (including students, faculty and staff) to temporarily avoid all non-essential travel to China while federal travel health warnings are in effect. Each UC campus and medical center was advised to take immediate steps to develop a review and approval process to determine if travel to China is absolutely essential or if it can be postponed.
We are committed to the well-being of the university community and the public at large, ensuring well-being and safety with established protocols to identify and quickly respond to potentially dangerous illnesses.
UC Health’s five medical centers and campus health facilities have extensively trained emergency preparedness specialists who continuously, carefully screen patients for multiple infectious diseases based on symptoms, travel history and up-to-date recommendations from local, state and federal public health officials.
If you’d like additional information, please see the links below:
Current situation summary: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Updates on health protocols: https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00426.asp
Travel advisories: https://www.cdc.gov/travel/notices
Coronavirus background: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus