Monday marked the first day of school for the University of California San Diego, and while the majority of classes will be held online, some are being held in-person. For that reason, the university has been taking measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among its student and staff population.
Roughly 38,000 students are enrolled for UCSD’s Fall 2020 quarter and about 11,000 students moved back onto campus over the past few weeks. Anyone who moved onto campus was tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, and testing will continue to be mandatory for students living in the dorms and for students and staff who physically report to campus.
About 12% of the university’s courses will be held in-person or via a hybrid format. Students and staff who report to a class, or anywhere at the university, must submit a daily self-screening for the virus. Students who are living on campus or attending on-campus instruction must be tested for COVID-19 twice a month.
Classrooms that require in-person instruction are being reduced to a maximum 25% capacity, and academic buildings have been configured to provide one-way traffic into and out of the buildings.
“So like at the bookstore, only a certain amount of people can be inside and also right before entering a dining hall, you always have to use hand sanitizer,” said Vanessa Gaeta, a UCSD student.
To further help prevent the spread of the virus, the university is tracing wastewater on campus. That process helped school officials detect the virus in the Revelle College area, leading the university to test nearly 650 people who live in the area. Of those tests, two individuals tested positive for the virus and were isolated.
Campus police officers are also patrolling the campus to remind anyone who is not wearing a mask about the importance of facial coverings. The university said that so far, compliance has been good and the school has not needed to give out any sort of warnings.
