Dear Students:
We hope your spring quarter is off to a good start. Thanks to the diligence and care of our students, staff, faculty, and community members, Santa Barbara County (SBC) is seeing improvement in infection rates and strong participation in vaccination efforts. With that good news in mind, we are writing now with some updates that include resuming limited in-person activities on campus this spring. As we add some lower-risk in-person activities to the calendar, we are hopeful that summer will see additional reopening and that we can plan with cautious optimism for a full return to in-person learning and operations for Fall 2021.
SBC is in the Red Tier. With continued vigilance and mask-wearing, we anticipate that it may soon enter the Orange Tier, which will expand the possibilities for our in-person activities on campus this spring, and it is critical that we not backslide into the more restrictive tiers, so please keep up the good work of following local public health guidance!
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In This Message...
- How to get your vaccine appointment
- Vax Facts: COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A with Student Health Dr. Ali Javanbakht
- Steps to becoming eligible to participate in on-campus activities
- Partial list of in-person activities on-campus this spring
- Public health advice for those who are vaccinated
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How to get your vaccine appointmentEffective April 15 throughout California, and now in SBC, people age 16 and older will be eligible to schedule appointments at any of the participating pharmacies, hospitals, or health care providers as supply is available. These locations may be able to begin sooner, depending on availability of vaccines.
While it might take several attempts to find a vaccination appointment, new options are opening up daily as new supply becomes available. Persistence is key!
We recommend that you bring proof of your student status and/or local address to your vaccination appointment. This could be your UCSB ACCESS Card, a bill that shows your name and local address, a pay stub from a local employer, or another document that shows you study, work, and/or reside in SBC. Be sure to cross out any confidential information on the stub (identification or account numbers, financial or grade information, etc.). You will be asked for your health insurance information when you sign up for a vaccine appointment; UC SHIP students can find their insurance information in the StudentHealth app through Anthem Blue Cross.
Websites to Find an Appointment
CA MyTurn Portal (Serves all of California)
Visit myturn.ca.gov. Appointments for next week at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital should be available starting Friday afternoon, April 9.
SBC 2-1-1
In Santa Barbara, call 2-1-1 for assistance getting vaccine appointments (also available in Spanish). The call center is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Need Additional Assistance?
If you are having trouble navigating the vaccine scheduling process, we are here to help. Please contact the COVID-19 Response Team at ucsb-covid19@ucsb.edu. While the team does not have special access to vaccines or clinics, we can help you navigate CA MyTurn and other scheduling websites so that you have an opportunity to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Outside of Santa Barbara or California?
Search for your local public health department, which should have local guidance regarding COVID-19 prevention, testing, and vaccination.
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Vax Facts: COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A with Dr. Ali Javanbakht
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 | Dr. Ali Javanbakht, Medical Director at UCSB Student Health Service, answers some of the biggest questions about the COVID-19 vaccines; their safety, how they work, how you'll feel, and more. Can you still get COVID-19 after being vaccinated? Can you infect others? Watch the video to find out.
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| "With the announcement that Santa Barbara County residents over the age of 16 are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we are closer to our goal of returning to campus for in-person instruction. Please consider getting vaccinated at your earliest convenience." -- Chancellor Henry T. Yang
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Steps to becoming eligible to participate in on-campus activities Each facility or activity will provide additional information about specific reservation procedures and compliance requirements. Please keep these general guidelines in mind.
All Students and Community Members
- Wear a face mask at all times while on campus. Free masks are available for those who need them (see information about COVID-19 Information Stations below).
- Maintain six feet of physical distance at all times.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Present a green "clearance badge" upon request of a University staff member. Instructions for obtaining a clearance are provided below. It takes at least 1-2 business days to get a clearance badge activated after COVID-19 testing, so please plan ahead.
Undergraduate Students
If you are not already receiving the daily COVID-19 screening survey by email, please enroll by emailing sa-ucsb-covid19-it@ucsb.edu. It takes at least 1-2 business days to get a clearance badge activated after COVID-19 testing, so please plan ahead.
To obtain a green "clearance badge" you must:
If you get a COVID-19 test somewhere other than UCSB Student Health, please upload your test result to the UCSB Student Health Portal.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, you do not need to test to get a green badge, but you do still need to complete the daily COVID-19 symptom survey.
Graduate Students
If you have not done so already, enroll in the Daily COVID-19 Screening survey. You must complete and pass the screening that is emailed to you each day to get a green badge. The clearance badge will be emailed to you.
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Visit a COVID-19 Information Station for EssentialsPublic Health Ambassadors will be available 6 days a week at various Isla Vista locations to provide the following:
- Answer questions about COVID-19 basics such as: importance of wearing a face covering; how to wear a face covering properly; physical distancing; testing & where to get it; vaccine information; etc.
- Direct students to campus resources related to COVID-19 including: COVID-19 call center, campus and community testing sites, how to get support when caring for a loved one who has COVID-19, Basic Needs and financial crisis resources, mental health resources, and sites where students can find the most up-to-date campus and community updates on COVID-19.
- Distribute free “COVID-19 care kits” that include a face covering, hand sanitizer, self-care items, and thermometer (while supplies last).
- Isla Vista Food Co-op – Mondays & Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Starbucks Plaza – Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Little Acorn Park – Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Partial list of in-person activities on-campus this springWe are excited to begin reopening the physical campus and to resume limited in-person activities that fit with current COVID-19 public health guidelines.
Outdoor Study Areas with Wi-Fi
To complement the Library reopening, outdoor study spaces are now available for use on the UCSB campus. Please see the map of outdoor Wi-Fi areas. Areas marked "C" (Complete) are live now. Areas marked "3" (Phase 3) will go live in mid-May. Social distancing and mask wearing is required on campus. Learn how to connect to the eduroam network.
Recreation
The Recreation Center is reopening on April 12 and will offer outdoor exercise equipment, the Outdoor Climbing Tower, the large and small pools, equipment rentals at Campus Point, and more. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 12 noon to 6 p.m. Reservations are required. For more details about their reopening, please visit the Returning to Recreation site.
Residential & Community Living
Beginning April 15, Residential & Community Living will offer programming for students in single-student apartments and family student housing. Programs will be overseen by Resident Assistants and Lead Staff and participants must sign up for these small group activities. Residents, please see the full list of activities distributed directly to your community. Also beginning on April 15, students in university-owned apartments can reserve access to volleyball courts, basketball courts, and swimming pools in residential areas. Inquire with your apartment complex office for details.
Residential Dining Services
We are making preparations so that when Santa Barbara County moves into the Orange Tier, Portola Dining Commons can reopen for students with existing meal plans to access indoor and outdoor seating and to eat in small, physically distanced groups or pods inside the facility.
Virtual Events and Services
- A robust calendar of virtual events is on-going. Please check Shoreline for each week's activities.
- All Student Affairs departments continue to provide virtual support services and programs. Please see our department directory to review the suite of enrollment, academic support, student life, and wellbeing resources available to you.
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Public health advice for those who are vaccinatedWhile it is a very exciting time as we see the potential relief vaccines will provide, it is critical that we continue to follow public health guidance both before and after vaccination. The following is advice from the Santa Barbara Public Health Department.
Who is "fully vaccinated?"
If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated upon:
- 2 weeks after your second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
- 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
Guidance for the Fully Vaccinnated
- You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
- You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
- Although the risk that fully vaccinated people could become infected with COVID-19 is low, any fully vaccinated person who experiences symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 if indicated.
Vaccinated or Not – Continue to Fight the Spread of COVID-19!
- Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Stay 6 feet apart from people you don’t live with.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
- Continue testing screening and response or outbreak testing.
- Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
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Thank you very much for your time and attention. We wish you all the best this quarter, and you and your loved ones good health.
Sincerely,
Margaret Klawunn
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Willie Brown
Associate Vice Chancellor
Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises
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