UCI Forward, UCI’s Coronavirus Information Hub, has implemented a number of coronavirus responses since the first reported cases of the virus. The webpage provides daily updates along with a list of coronavirus resources.
The page has been updated every business day, from Monday to Friday since March 17. The page provides information on case count updates for everyone in the UCI community, including those on and off-campus.
The page also offers general campus news, new articles surrounding the virus, informational graphics and even a “hope, inspiration, and laughter” portion to ease the “heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship.” The portion provides interesting facts and tips to lighten the bleakness of the situation and provides some positivity.
To improve the coronavirus measures, UCI’s Division of Student Affairs implemented the UCI Living Well Daily Symptom Check Application, based on the Working Well Daily Symptom Check Program for employees, which was implemented on Aug. 24 for all UCI students and employees.
Since then, the daily symptom check has expanded to include a “ZotPass,” which students are given after participating in daily check-ins, along with the Weekly Asymptomatic Testing Requirement for students on campus.
ZotPass enforcement will begin starting Monday, Dec. 7. Students on campus will be required to show their Green ZotPass in order to access campus facilities such as Brandywine and The Anteatery. The enforcement will be held throughout the business week from Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch only.
A Green ZotPass is given to a student that has complied with the daily check-in and completed their weekly asymptomatic testing. The pass lists coronavirus prevention tips and allows students on campus to access campus facilities and services. A Red ZotPass signals otherwise and prevents students from using shared spaces.
It is recommended that students on campus complete their daily check first thing in the morning to ensure they receive their ZotPass for the day.
The daily check-ins are available in two forms, either through the ServiceNow mobile application (available on both iOS and Android) or through an email which is sent out daily by UCI Support with the subject “UCI Daily Symptom Monitoring.”
The email lists a series of symptoms and questions and asks students whether they’ve been tested and if they’ve been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
Following the release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy on Nov. 16, food services, housing, childcare, athletics, The Hill Bookstore and the FRESH Basic Needs Hub have been operating with limited capacity.
To ensure further administration of the virus, UCI has decided to expand the coronavirus testing capacity for students who have been living off-campus starting Monday, Dec. 7.
The UCI Coronavirus Testing website states “COVID-19 testing is now open for students residing off campus but attending in-person courses or regularly attending onsite events or activities [and] students residing off campus and involved in campus-based research.”
Students are also required to enroll in weekly asymptomatic testing. Testing locations across campus are available at the Bren Events Center, Division of Continuing Education (DCE) Yosemite Room, Plaza Verde Community Center and the Vista del Campo Community Center.
Students are encouraged to commit to one consistent day and time out of the week to get checks on a weekly, recurring basis. The testing website covers in more detail on how to schedule an appointment and get tested.
Jennifer Cheong is a Campus News Intern for the Fall 2020 Quarter. She can be reached at jacheong@uci.edu