April 13, 2021

On Thursday, Apr. 15, San Diego County will open up COVID-19 vaccination appointments for anyone 16 years of age and older. Students will be eligible for vaccination at any county vaccination site, including UC San Diego Health’s Vaccination Station at RIMAC.

Employees who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to do so while vaccine supply and appointments are plentiful. Vaccination appointments are available for all UC San Diego employees on campus at RIMAC. 

On Apr. 2, the CDC updated its guidance on domestic and international travel for fully vaccinated individuals. Restrictions on travel for UC San Diego employees have been removed. It is strongly recommended to continue to book official university travel through the UC San Diego travel system, Concur. 

Five new COVID-19 test kit vending machines have been installed on campus. Locations include Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jacobs School of Engineering, Coast Apartments, Gilman Parking Structure and Osler Parking Structure. If results do not arrive within 48 hours, please re-test. 

Campus employees are invited to help shape decisions about what UC San Diego’s workplace should be like as we gradually return to full campus operations. Employees have received an email from Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy E. Resnick to take part in an anonymous survey that will inform campus leadership as plans are developed. Please participate in the “Reimagining the Workplace” survey by Friday, May 14—your input is invaluable.

To complement the survey, IdeaWave is also being utilized to gather feedback from our staff community. Please login and join our Embracing a New Vision for our Workplace campaign. Check out your colleagues’ contributions, which include:

Answer: The International Students & Programs Office provides guidance and advising for students who plan to enter the United States in F-1 or J-1 status. Please contact the International Students & Programs Office.

Answer: Yes. We are carefully monitoring the visa situation and making adjustments to our plans in order to ensure that these students are provided options that will enable them to make academic progress at UC San Diego. In some cases that may require students to make adjustments to their academic plans in consultation with their academic advisor; for instance, they might need to change the sequence in which they take certain courses. We urge all students with potential visa complications to communicate with their advisors and through the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) about their needs. We will make more specific announcements about which courses are available in remote or hybrid format in July/August 2021.

Question: Are COVID-19 self-administered test kits free?

Answer:  Yes, it is free to pick up a self-administered test kit from a vending machine on campus. Please note that while test kits are still free, a virtual debit of $1 will happen automatically on your campus card account, followed by an immediate credit return that will balance out to zero each day; there will be no actual charge. To review current and upcoming vending machine locations, please visit the Return to Learn Testing and Screening webpage.