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UCLA Policy

Yes, under the appropriate circumstances the Chancellors may transition instruction to other modalities or suspend campus operations, if appropriate.

-Most employees are currently working remotely; only essential personnel are permitted to report to campus.

-Do not come to work if you are sick

-Do not come to work if you are on approved administrative or other approved leave

-Do not come to work if you have been asked to work remotely

-Do not come to work to engage in research, except to engage in ramp down, continuity or laboratory safety work.

-Essential experiments and essential research personnel may continue, but only with the approval of designated leadership within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), the David Geffen School of Medicine, the Samueli School of Engineering and the UCLA College. The OVCR is issuing more specific guidelines for on-campus research, off-campus research and clinical research activities, which will be distributed separately.

-Do not come to work to take advantage of better internet connections or fewer distractions, except for classroom or laboratory instruction for remote teaching. We understand that it may be harder for some employees to conduct work from home. UCLA has procured IT equipment and portable internet hotspots to help faculty and staff work from home. Faculty and staff can address their needs with supervisors or department chairs.

-Do not come to work to retrieve items from your office or visit colleagues required to be on campus after Friday, March 20 at 11:59 p.m. Only come to campus if you have permission from your supervisor.

Yes, if you have the newer CISCO phone set. 

From your desk phone: Press the button for FORWARD ALL.  After you hear 2 beeps, dial 8 then 1 + phone number and hang up. 

When you return to the office: Press the button for FORWARD OFF. 

If you would like your voicemails sent to you via email, please send an email your request to ITS.  

UCLA has suspended all nonessential events of any size through the end of spring quarter.  

Every member of the campus community is strongly urged to carefully consider whether it is necessary to convene in person or hold group meetings or any other type of gathering.

Public health officials tell us that reducing population density is the best way to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Yes, UCLA Library locations are closed to the public until further notice. 

Materials on loan to patrons will automatically be renewed through June 30, 2020.

Please visit the UCLA Library website for additional information on library hours, remote services and other resources.

Visit the ASUCLA website for a list of restaurants open on campus.

Please refer to the Housing & Hospitality's dining website for detailed information about current service hours. 

Please visit the UCLA Transportation website for updated information.

Yes. The University is obligated to provide a safe workplace and may take necessary and reasonable steps to minimize health risks for its employees, such as requiring that employees not come to work if they have COVID-19.

If an employee has had very close contact (for example, lives in the same household) with a person with COVID-19, the employee should be told to watch carefully for symptoms including fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

Employees should stay home if COVID-19-like illness symptoms develop or go home immediately if COVID-19-like illness symptoms occur at work.

Visit CDC Watch for Symptoms COVID-19 webpage for details. Also please visit Campus Human Resources for more information on COVID-19 for UCLA employees.

Yes. The University enacted a Policy on Safeguards, Security and Emergency Management in January 2006 that contemplates the need for Chancellors to take extraordinary measures in the event of “a natural or man-made disaster, a civil disorder which poses a threat of serious injury to persons or damage to property,” or other “seriously disruptive events.”*  Pursuant to this policy, the University may take appropriate steps to protect the health and safety of its employees in the face of a known serious health crisis like an influenza pandemic.

*University of California Policy on Safeguards, Security and Emergency Management

UCLA will coordinate its actions with the LA County Department of Public Health to ensure the consistent implementation of Public Health orders, rules and regulations pertaining to the control of COVID-19.

Yes. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)* permits disclosure of treatment records for purposes other than treatment to “appropriate persons [to protect others] in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of other individuals.” The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)**  provides that such disclosure of protected health information without patient consent is permitted if there is a good faith belief that the disclosure is “necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public; and . . .[the disclosure] is to a person or persons reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat.”*** California case law holds that healthcare providers have a duty to take reasonable steps, including breaching patient confidentiality, to warn and protect others at risk from a patient with a communicable disease.+ California regulations regarding communicable diseases obligate a healthcare provider in attendance on a case of suspected communicable disease to breach confidentiality to give detailed instructions to the members of the household of the sick person regarding precautionary measures to be taken for preventing the spread of the disease or condition.++

Even when circumstances warranting disclosure exist, disclosure should be as limited as possible, only necessary information should be shared, and disclosures should be made only to those people with a need to know.

The local health department may also provide a campus with advance written approval in order to disclose such information in such circumstances. Further, as previously indicated, a health official may release personal information as necessary to prevent the spread of disease or the occurrence of additional cases.

*Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

** Health Information Privacy (including HIPAA)

***45 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) 164.512(j)(i) This provision should be relied upon only in extraordinary circumstances. (“Uses and disclosures for which an authorization or opportunity to agree or object is not required.”)

+Reisner v. Regents of the University of California (1995) 31 Cal.App.4th 1195

++17 C.C.R. § 2514 (“Instructions to Household”)

Yes. UCLA operates centers for the care of the children of faculty, staff and students. California Child Care Center General Licensing Requirements require that these centers inspect all arriving children for signs of sickness and that the center not accept into its care any child exhibiting obvious symptoms of illness including, but not limited to, fever, upper respiratory illness or vomiting.*

The CDC and the DPH recommend that students, teachers, and staff who appear to have COVID-19-like illness upon arrival or who become ill during the school day be promptly isolated from other students and teachers until they can be picked up. Parents and guardians should be reminded to monitor their school-aged children for symptoms of COVID-19-like illness and advised that children who are sick should stay home. Likewise, teachers and staff should be reminded to stay home when sick. Ill students should not attend alternative childcare or congregate in other settings. Childcare facilities that close their operations should also cancel childcare-related gatherings and encourage parents to avoid congregating with other families at home or in other places.

*Health & Safety Code §§ 120135, 120145, 120200; 120215 (“Administration of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control”) and 22 California Code of Regulations (C.C.R.) §§ 101226.1(a), 101226.1(b) (“Daily Inspection for Illness”)

Please advise employees to exercise prudence and delay international travel – especially if they are ill.

-Faculty and staff who have plans to travel abroad should be advised to check the Department of State travel advisory website for guidance. Note that the US Department of State has issued Global Level 4 Health Advisory (March 19, 2020) for US Citizens to avoid all international travel at this time.

-The CDC advises and issues notices on the status of travel to many foreign locations and countries.

-The World Health Organization has a pandemic page that posts guidance for individuals, communities and others regarding treatment, quarantine etc.

The Office of Risk Services within UCOP’s Financial Management Department has arranged for employees traveling on official University business to be covered for a wide variety of accidents and incidents, including illness, while away from the campus or primary workplace.

-This coverage is provided at no cost to the traveler.

-Coverage is accessed through automatic ticket/travel agency booking (UCLA Travel or Connexxus) or registration through UCLA Travel Insurance. Once registered, the traveler receives a welcome email providing them with the following:

    -A trip brief with useful information about their destination
    -Current alerts for that particular destination (including COVID-19 alerts)
    -Email alerts before and during the trip and health alerts up to 30 days after a trip (including COVID-19 status of travel destination)

Those traveling on official University business should be encouraged to access this information.

Travelers who return from a Level 3 designated country, should self-isolate for 14 days after arrival. This is consistent with current federal policy and with CDC and CADPH guidance.

Anyone who has returned from a Level 3 designated country and develops fever and cough should seek medical attention immediately, either through their primary care physician, the emergency department, or as instructed by public health authorities. When possible, call ahead before seeking medical care.

US Department of State issued Global Level 4 Health Advisory (March 19, 2020) for US Citizens to avoid all international travel. 

On March 5, 2020, UC’s Office of the President updated their directive to the UC community (including students, faculty and staff) to temporarily avoid all non-essential travel to Level 2 or 3 countries while federal travel health warnings are in effect.

US Department of State issued Global Level 4 Health Advisory (March 19, 2020) for US Citizens to avoid all international travel.

Faculty

To request approval to engage in essential travel, faculty should contact their deans in writing for approval.

-Educational conferences are not considered essential travel, even if you are a presenter.
-Essential travel is defined as that which is required to:
    -Preserve the safety of a research subject and which is not possible to be postponed; or
    -Preserve the results of a research activity and which is not possible to be postponed.

Staff

-All university-related staff travel to countries with a CDC travel warning of Level 2 or 3 countries is presumed postponable and therefore non-essential.

-To request an exception, staff should ask their department to contact the pertinent dean or vice chancellor in writing. Such an exemption may only be approved by a vice chancellor.

Travelers who returned from international travel from a Level 3 designated countries or higher on or after February 3, 2020, should remain off campus for 14 days after arrival. This is consistent with current federal policy requiring 14-day quarantine or self-isolation for all such travelers, and with CDC guidance that states specifically that this policy is not retroactive to travel prior to February 3.

Anyone who has been in a country with a CDC warning level of 2 or higher within the past 14 days and who develops fever and cough should seek medical attention immediately, either through their primary care physician, the emergency department, or as instructed by public health authorities. They should call ahead before seeking medical care.

US Department of State issued Global Level 4 Health Advisory (March 19, 2020) for US Citizens to avoid all international travel.

The basic principles set forth above regarding steps that the University may take to ensure a safe workplace apply to the University’s academic employees.

Managers and supervisors should consult with the Academic Personnel Office and refer to the Academic Personnel Manual to determine applicable leave policies for the various categories of academic employees.

See UC COVID-19 Related Leave for Academic Appointees for additional information.