October 16, 2020
Dear Academic Affairs Colleagues,

As some of our instructors and TAs return to the physical classroom, we recognize that some members of our community will receive a positive diagnosis for COVID-19. We ask that you help us spread awareness of the safety protocols we have adopted and ensure that our colleagues understand what to expect and how we are working to keep them safe.  

Our campus is promoting classroom safety through mandatory face-coverings, required social distancing, and twice-daily cleanings of classrooms. The following classroom safety measures are critical to protecting our campus:



  • Practicing physical distancing as directed




  • Completing your daily symptom-screening.


Together these interventions help reduce the spread of the virus. Whenever anyone on campus tests positive, our contact tracing team performs a rigorous investigation; if anyone has been exposed, they will be personally contacted by phone within 24 hours. Please accept calls from the contact tracers and honestly answer their questions to help protect our community. The CA COVID Notify application is another tool that helps to quickly identify potential exposures. 

Exposure is defined as having been in direct physical contact or close contact (within 6 feet of a COVID-positive person for 15 minutes). Therefore, having a student test positive after attending class (assuming all safety measures were followed) means that there is an extremely low risk of contagion. No Association of American University university has reported outbreaks originating from classroom activities.

If an instructor or TA becomes ill, they should follow the instructions on the daily symptom screener. An individual who is ill should not come to campus until instructed to do so, and should work with their department to shift activities online, or find others who can cover the class until they are clear to return.

If a student in a class tests positive and the instructor or TA is not contacted by a member of the contact tracing team, the instructor or TA does not need to quarantine, and does not need to undergo additional testing, though testing is available free and on demand for peace of mind. Students may contact their instructor or TA directly to disclose their status and ask for accommodation, but they can also choose not to. Student Health Services asks students whether they would like their Dean of Student Affairs or other academic liaison notified of their situation. Neither the student nor Student Health Services are required to contact an instructor or TA if the student does not request accommodations. If a student or an employee has voluntarily disclosed their positive COVID-19 status to you, you should not share this information with others. 

Please know that the twice daily cleaning and wiping down of desk surfaces will help keep our classrooms hygienic. Current research shows extremely low contagion risks from surfaces. However, in some situations, county or state mandates require that an extra-thorough deep cleaning of the classroom be performed in addition to the usual twice-daily cleanings; Facilities Management (FM) will do this whenever needed.

Sanitation supplies should be located in all classrooms. If an instructor or TA notices that this is not the case, they should contact their DBO, who can reach out to Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) or Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as appropriate.

We do encourage all faculty, staff and students to take advantage of free testing available through UC San Diego Health as a part of the Return to Learn program. Most importantly, we thank everyone for following the guidelines for masking and distancing at all times; it is the most critical component to classroom safety. 

Please find answers to some frequently asked questions below.


With best regards,
Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor
Can I ask my students to provide proof that they have done their symptom screening and are compliant with testing requirements?
Yes, any university official (instructors and TAs included) can ask a student to provide evidence of compliance with safety regulations (e.g., using the screening app). However, you are not required to do this; it is your choice. Student Health Services and Student Affairs are monitoring compliance and working to make sure all students comply with campus safety regulations.
If a student in my class tests positive, do I need to move my in-person class to remote instruction?
You may, at any time, choose to change the mode in which you are teaching your class. However, you do not need to move to a remote format solely because a student tests positive, assuming there was adherence to the distancing, masking and cleaning practices. If a class were to experience a significant transmission event, or the scientific understanding of transmission were to evolve to rule out certain in-person activities, you would be notified by the public health and contact tracing team and instructed about whether a remote model was necessary for your class.
How is the university monitoring for outbreaks?
Every evening, the COVID Management Team reviews all of the cases that have occurred at the university in the last 24 hours, along with all of the particular circumstances and outcomes, and provides recommendations to the COVID Response Team, which determines what actions might be needed to further promote public health on campus. Response time, student and staff compliance, and overall transmission risks are all being monitored. Many data-points are shared on the Return to Learn dashboard: https://returntolearn.ucsd.edu/dashboard/

See the campus rapid intervention framework for details about how we are actively evaluating COVID- related trends as they emerge to ensure UC San Diego can respond rapidly to the evolving situation.