Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

Students, faculty staff, postdocs or visitors with fever or respiratory symptoms should not come to campus.  Please seek advice from your health care provider should you have concerns about COVID-19. Students are encouraged to call the UHS Advice Line (510-643-7197) before coming in.

Health information for students, faculty and staff

Experts with University Health Services give the latest health advisory updates and guidance.

Wellness information for faculty, staff

The staff at Be Well at Work offer tips on how to de-stress or care for an elder adult.

Masks information

Wearing a face covering during the coronavirus pandemic helps prevent the spread of germs, in addition to social distancing, hand washing, and staying home when sick.

Rec Sports Online

Stay active and stay healthy with a collection of free resources, virtual classes and online videos for the UC Berkeley community.

Instructional Resilience Resources

Best practices, resources, and links to helpful information on how instructors can prepare to continue UC Berkeley’s educational mission during the potential spread of coronavirus on campus. Sign up for online webinars for Zoom and bCourses, and book individual consultations and find other teaching resources.

Guidelines

• UC Berkeley will continue to offer nearly ALL instruction through alternative (not in-person) modalities (e.g., Zoom, course capture, etc.) through the end of the semester.
• All in-person instruction is cancelled for the remainder of the semester. There will be no exceptions.
• Course syllabi may need to change, in a short period of time, in light of the significant pedagogical changes resulting from remote instruction and assessment.
• Exams and assessments: To facilitate social distancing and improve accessibility, all examinations and assessments are to be conducted via alternative (not-in-person) methods.
• Attendance: Starting on Monday, March 30, but not before, instructors are allowed to take attendance in classes and to use participation as a metric for academic performance. Instructors are encouraged to be flexible in their attendance requirements; communicate those requirements proactively to their students; and accommodate students who are ill, those who are located in a different time zone, and those who may have limited remote access.
• Disability accommodations: DSP will continue to partner with instructors to ensure students’ disability accommodations are provided. The following are email addresses that instructors and students can contact for DSP-captioning and ASL (dsp-captioning@berkeley.edu) accessible formats (dspamc@berkeley.edu), proctoring (proctoring@berkeley.edu), and note taking (dspnotes@berkeley.edu). Please contact dsp@berkeley.edu for additional questions or assistance regarding student accommodations. Faculty should work with DSP to ensure that all content is accessible to their students with disabilities before the content is posted. To ensure accessibility, it is very important to use UC Berkeley provided platforms, such as bCourses and Zoom. Posting videos or other content via non-supported tools that make that content open to the public and present accessibility barriers (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) is prohibited.
• Students who have concerns about instructors not adhering to the above guidelines should contact the chair of the department or dean of the professional school. Issues not resolvable at the local level should be elevated to the Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education (vcue@berkeley.edu) or Vice Provost for Graduate Education (graddean@berkeley.edu) respectively.

Keep teaching (COVID-19) resources and links

Resources from the University of California Office of the President, including drop-in technical sessions with ILTI Instructional Designers for faculty and/or faculty support teams and campus instructional designers to ask questions about using Canvas, Zoom, and other tools integrated into the Canvas platform.

Study abroad

Information for Berkeley student abroad students, including for students currently abroad, those applying to summer and fall programs and resources for students returning from suspended programs.

Summer Sessions

2020 Summer Sessions instruction will be delivered remotely.

Lifelong learning

Information from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Berkeley.

San Francisco Bay Area Global Internships

The SF Bay Global Internship program is canceled for Summer 2020.

Libraries

All libraries are closed but you can access digital versions of much of the library’s physical volumes via a digital library.

Disabilities

A message to the campus disability community regarding COVID-19, including resources for faculty, staff and students.

Parking and Transportation

The latest updates on changes to parking regulations and alternative commuting options.

Supply chain and deliveries to campus

Information on package and mail delivery on campus.

Accounts Payable payment processes

Production of paper checks will run once a week on Wednesdays.

COVID-19 information for UC employees

Information and recommendations from the UC Office of the President.

The research community is directed to work remotely whenever possible. Principal Investigators should suspend on-campus research to the greatest extent possible and operate remotely at least through May 3. Essential access, limited to sustaining research capability, such as animal care, servicing of critical instrumentation, and maintenance of germ lines, will be authorized by the Vice Chancellor for Research Office in coordination with Deans and Chairs. Exceptional access will be considered by a campus review process, which is currently being developed, modeled on the one at the University of California, San Francisco. Please visit the Vice Chancellor for Research website for specific information and more detailed guidance.

Research continuity and planning

Guidance and resources for the UC Berkeley research community, to assist in planning for potential impacts and ensuring research continuity during the coronavirus outbreak.

International Researchers

Guidance for international scholars and researchers is available on the Research continuity and planning website, the Berkeley International Office website and Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs website.

Research policy analysis and coordination

Summary of resources and links to information about how research agencies and other entities are responding to Coronavirus. As well as daily updates on how UC, sponsors, and regulators are responding to COVID-19.

Staff who are not explicitly instructed to work at  the campus in person should not come to work. Managers and supervisors will assess what services need to continue on the campus to protect and serve students in residence and maintain other critical operations, such as delivery of remote learning, student housing/dining, University Health Services, etc. Employees will receive direction from their managers if they are required to come to the campus in order to work.  People who are working from home should continue to do so.  California Gov. Newsom has advised anyone over the age of 65 to remain at home; the campus intends to support this goal. 

Telecommuting technology resources

Staff and faculty with technical questions about telecommuting to work can find resources and advice on this page. Students and instructors can also make use of the resources.

Cybersecurity and COVID-19

A collection of cybersecurity resources relating to the novel Coronavirus and telecommuting.

Telecommuting policy for staff

Information about telecommuting and related policies and procedures, including the Temporary Remote Work Agreement.

Out of state remote work employee form

Employees who are working remotely outside of California are asked to complete this form.

University of California executive order (3/16/2020)

Modifies the March 9 guidance to allow up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave.

University of California guidance regarding paid leave and remote work provisions (3/9/2020)

The university has enacted temporary emergency actions regarding remote work and paid leave related to COVID-19.

Guidance for timekeeping during COVID-19

Information for managers and supervisors about how to report administrative leave with pay as it relates to COVID-19.

Ergonomics tips for working at home

The Be Well at Work Ergonomics Program has special tips for working at home.

COVID-19-Related leave for academic appointees

Latest guidance from Academic Personnel and Programs regarding leave for academic appointees.

Off campus internet access options

Free and low-cost options for accessing internet off campus.

As advised earlier, students who live in campus housing and Blackwell Hall may choose to leave Berkeley and obtain prorated relief from the payment obligations of their housing contracts. The Berkeley health department has confirmed that the “shelter in place” order does not prevent students from moving out of student housing facilities to reside somewhere else. We will keep residence and dining facilities open under these emergency circumstances so long as there is a need to do so. More information is available at the COVID-19 Housing website. The Basic Needs Center, including the Food Pantry, will move to 103 Sproul Hall.

International students may wish to visit the Berkeley International Office website to get updated visa and other information.

Information for graduate students

Resources for graduate students as well as for faculty and staff who support graduate education.

Student Affairs updates

Information on housing, dining, financial aid and more.

Laptop and Wi-Fi hotspot lending program

Free laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots for students who qualify.

Off campus internet access options

Free and low-cost options for accessing internet off campus.

Guidance for International Students and Scholars

Visit the Berkeley International Office website for FAQs and guidance on visas.

Free e-Books

The Cal Student Store is offering a no-cost solution to students who may have lost access to course materials that they previously shared with classmates or instructors, or accessed via the library. Through May 25, 2020, access to an expansive catalog (tens of thousands of ebooks) of eTexts will be available for free to students via VitalSource. All you need to do is to log-in to the VitalSource Bookshelf app using your Berkeley email address to view course materials from participating publishers. As with many free offers, this offer does end so please pay close attention to the expiration date to avoid unnecessary charges. 

We strongly recommend that each student carefully weigh the risk of travel given current guidance and recommendations from the CDC and other authorities.

Travel guidance

Updated guidance about university-related travel and non-essential travel.

International travel resources

Berkeley’s Global Engagement Office has updated policies and advice for staff and faculty planning to make work-related international trips.

Reimbursement for travel

Information specific to reimbursement for travel impacted as a result of the coronavirus.

Guidelines

All department or administrative events and all events held on university property are canceled through May 3, 2020.

Athletics

All Cal Athletics competitions are canceled through the remainder of the spring term. Fans who have pre-purchased tickets to events that have been canceled may contact the Cal Athletic Ticket Office with questions by calling (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) and pressing option 3.

BAMPFA

Closed until further notice.

Botanical Garden

Closed until further notice.

Cal Day

Canceled.

Cal Performances

All remaining performances and events in the 2019–20 season have been canceled.

Campanile

Closed through May 15.

Campus tours and Koret Visitor Center

Suspended/closed through May 15.

Commencement

Commencement has been postponed.

Hearst Museum of Anthropology

Closed until further notice.

Lawrence Hall of Science

Closed until further notice.

Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

Closed until further notice.

Theater, dance and performance studies

See the department website for cancelations.

Principles of Community

All members of the campus community are asked to keep the Principles of Community in mind when interacting with others during these stressful times.

Coronavirus xenophobia, anti-Asian racism have no place at UC Berkeley

A message from UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion Oscar Dubón and Assistant Vice Chancellor for People and Culture Eugene Whitlock.

Berkeley Division of Equity and Inclusion

E&I programs are providing services and support virtually during COVID-19 Shelter in Place.

Equity and inclusion during COVID-19

Guidance prepared by the Council of Chief Diversity Officers at the University of California to assist campus decision makers, faculty, administrators, students and staff on providing supportive positive and inclusive campus climates during the COVID-19 crisis.

Creating a healthy virtual environment toolkit

Information about how you can create a culture of inclusion and respect in the virtual world. 

1. Donate to a local hospital or clinic.
2. Ship to UC Berkeley in support of our student-serving University Health Services: 2000 Carleton St, Berkeley CA 94720-2284, Attn: Armando Cortez, EH&S PPE Coordinator.

• Berkeley Conversations: COVID-19. A series of live events featuring Berkeley experts.
• Leading through crisis. An online series from the Haas School of Business and UC Berkeley Executive Education.

12:30 p.m.: University Health Services has confirmed that a resident of University Village housing in Albany has tested positive for COVID-19. The graduate student is in stable condition and in home isolation.

Officials with UHS, which administered the test, are working in coordination with the Alameda County Public Health Department to contact individuals who had close contact with the graduate student.

University Village is a campus-owned housing facility for Berkeley students and their families, located about three miles from central campus.

This new case brings the total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases that the campus is aware of to 11.

• 6:30 p.m.: Face coverings are now required on campus.
• 4 p.m.: The first episode of the Berkeley at Home Variety Show is now available.
• 8 a.m.: See the lineup for this week’s Berkeley Conversations.

• 12 p.m.: Chancellor Carol Christ and Provost Paul Alivisatos provided an update on UC Berkeley’s budget situation.

• 5 p.m.: A UC Berkeley undergraduate student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student, who lives off campus in the city of Berkeley, is doing well. The student was tested at University Health Services. Local public health officials have reached out to roommates — who have no symptoms — to assist with their quarantine efforts. At this point there is no indication that the student who tested positive was on the core campus recently, except for the visit to UHS for testing. This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases involving Berkeley students or employees to 10, since the first case was reported on Saturday, March 14.

• 8 a.m.: A new explainer on masks is now available and has been added to the “Health” section below.

• 6:15 p.m.: You’re encouraged to cover your nose and mouth with cloth when leaving home. Read the message from Marc Fisher for more information.

• 3:15 p.m. A staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of known cases within the UC Berkeley community to 9. The staff member was not on campus during the exposure risk period and is in good condition while isolating at home.

• 7 p.m.: This week’s Berkeley Conversations will featured live events discussing computing and data science and the economic impact of COVID-19. Read the announcement for more information.

• 6:45 p.m.: UC Berkeley has made the decision to continue remote delivery of instruction in place of face-to-face classes through Summer Sessions 2020.
• 2:45 p.m.: Resources for preventing and responding to sexual and domestic violence.
• 2:45 p.m.: Free and low-cost options for accessing the internet off campus.
• 8:45 a.m.: You can now access digital versions of much of the library’s physical volumes via a digital library.
• 8:30 a.m.: The city of Berkeley is recommending that everyone “everyone cover their noses and mouths with cloth when leaving home for essential visits to doctor’s offices, supermarkets or pharmacies.” Read their press release for more information.

• New live online COVID-19 series connects experts with public.
• There will be no COVID-related layoffs through June.
• In light of the shelter-in-place order being extended through May 3, additional precautions and information about working from home.
• FAQs on the spring semester grading policy.
• Additional guidance on the hiring freeze.
• Employees who are working remotely from outside of California are asked to complete a new form. The form has also been added to the “Telecommuting and paid leave section” below.

• An update on the financial impacts of COVID-19, including a campus hiring freeze, was sent to faculty and staff.
• A new section has been added to this page for those who wish to donate PPE or medical supplies.
• The University of California has taken a number of steps to temporarily adjust admissions requirements to ensure that newly admitted students and prospective students are not harmed by educational disruptions from COVID-19.

• UC Berkeley has learned that another student returning from study abroad has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total count of known cases to 8.
• Event cancelations have been extended through at least May 3.

6 p.m.: For undergraduates concerned about how P/NP grades may affect their applications to graduate and professional schools, the Council of Deans have released this statement:

Recognizing the challenges to teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provost and Deans of the University of California, Berkeley adopted the following principle:

UC Berkeley evaluates applicants for admission to its graduate and professional schools holistically, meaning that we consider an applicant’s combination of personal accomplishments, letters of recommendation, personal statements, academic record, and test scores in making our admissions decisions. Such a review will take into account the significant disruptions of COVID-19 when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials from Spring 2020. We understand that many institutions across the country instituted P/NP grading policies during that semester. Thus, we will not penalize students for the adoption of P/NP and other grading options during this unprecedented period, whether the choices were made by institutions or by individual students. Our admissions evaluation will focus primarily on a student’s academic performance prior to this period, and if applicable, following this period. What is most important is that applicants demonstrate that they pursued a challenging curriculum that was relevant to their plan for graduate or professional school.

11 a.m.: An additional two UC Berkeley students who recently returned from study abroad in Spain have tested positive for COVID-19.

11:30 a.m.: Two more UC Berkeley students who recently returned from study abroad in Spain have tested positive for COVID-19, campus officials recently learned.

They are both undergraduate students.

One student had studied with the University of California Education Abroad Program in Barcelona, and another student with the UCEAP program in Madrid. Officials with UCEAP have sent letters to program participants and advised them to contact their health provider if they develop symptoms.

University Health Services officials cared for one of the two students and UHS  information indicates the student, who lives in the city of Berkeley and is self-isolating in good condition, spent no time on campus while symptomatic and there is unlikely to be any risk to the campus community. The City of Berkeley Public Health Department has been investigating, and will reach out to anyone who may have been exposed.

Regarding the second new case, the student is self-isolating outside of Alameda County. Information provided to UCEAP indicates the student was not on the Berkeley campus after returning from Spain. We have few additional details about this case.

To date, we are aware of a total of five confirmed cases where it was reported to us that Berkeley students tested positive for COVID-19. The majority of these cases have been linked to travel from countries with sustained community transmission.

Please keep in mind that our counts are not comprehensive. When confirmed cases involving members of the UC Berkeley community occur outside of UHS or the local area, there may be no confirmation or delayed confirmation of the cases from public health officials to UHS officials. Further, we know that there are likely many more positive cases within our communities that are not yet counted as confirmed positive because the individuals have not been tested.

It is very likely that there are many more positive cases already in our campus community. According to public health officials, once testing becomes more widely available locally and in the region we can expect to see a much higher number of positive cases here and elsewhere. The coronavirus, and community spread, is very much in our Bay Area communities.

Officials at UHS are committed to providing ongoing services in primary care, social services and counseling and psychology to the extent they can during this pandemic.  They are developing a number of online and virtual services. Please check the University Health Services website if you are a student needing medical or mental health care.

5:30 p.m.: Chancellor Carol Christ sent a message of gratitude to the campus community.

– AND –

We learned of two more confirmed COVID-19 cases involving members of the UC Berkeley community.

Both are undergraduate students who tested positive after returning home from study abroad. The students are now in isolation at home outside of Alameda County, and in good condition.

The students did not return to the Berkeley campus upon return from Spain, so there was no exposure on the Berkeley campus.

Although we now have a total of three confirmed positive COVID-19  cases involving members of the campus community (the first case was announced last week), we want to make clear that it is very likely that there are many more positive cases already in our campus community.  According to public health officials, once testing becomes more widely available locally and in the region we can expect to see a much higher number of positive cases here and elsewhere. The coronavirus, and community spread, is very much in our Bay Area communities.

12:30 p.m.: Grading policies have been changed for the spring semester.

3:45 p.m.: UC Berkeley has clarified campus directives in light of the shelter-in-place mandate.

Read the campus message from EVC/Provost Alivisatos VC Marc Fisher for more details.

4:30 p.m.: UC Berkeley has announced additional actions to encourage social distancing, including:

<li”>All in-person instruction is canceled for the remainder of the semester.
• The research community is directed to immediately transition to work remotely whenever possible.
• Staff who are not explicitly instructed to work at the campus in person should not come to work.
• All libraries, Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union, Eshleman Hall, Cesar Chavez Hall, and the Recreational Sports Facility will be closed.
• All public events planned to take place on the campus through April 7, 2020, should be cancelled or rescheduled.

Read the campus message from Chancellor Christ and EVC/Provost Alivisatos for more details.

2 p.m.: In light of Alameda County’s announcement advising county residents to shelter in place beginning Tuesday, March 17 at 12:01 a.m. through Tuesday, April 7, UC Berkeley is rapidly moving toward a “maintenance-only” mode of physical operation of the campus.

Read the campus message from Chancellor Christ for more details.

• 7:45 p.m.: Public health officials have determined that there are no high risk contacts from this case, meaning that no one is at significantly higher risk of contracting it from the infected individual than would be expected in the general population.
  People should continue to monitor their health and be in touch with their physician or University Health Services if they are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms.
• 5:30 p.m.: A member of the UC Berkeley campus community has contracted COVID-19. The individual is a graduate student who does not live on campus or in the city of Berkeley and has self-isolated in their city of residence. The individual is in good condition and has no serious symptoms. Read the message to campus to learn more.

12:30 p.m.: UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Alivisatos have announced several updates to UC Berkeley’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Remote instruction has been extended through the end of the semester.
• Students will be able to choose where it is best for them to reside.
• Students will receive relief from their campus housing and dining fees if they decide to move out.
• If in-person instruction resumes, in-person course attendance will continue to not be mandatory for the rest of the semester.
• Supervisors are encouraged to explore work assignments for students to perform remotely.
• Critical campus functions, including our research enterprise and student support services, remain operational, some with adjusted service hours.

2 p.m.: New changes have been announced regarding events on campus. These changes will remain in effect at least through March 29.

• Campus spaces and venues will not be available for any event with 100 or more expected attendees.
• Intercollegiate Athletics events on campus will be held without spectators.
• Cal Performances events through March 29 will be canceled.
• Cal Day, which was scheduled for April 18, has been canceled.
• A decision has not been made about graduation/commencement events.

See the “Events and activities” section for more details.

1:20 p.m.: Chancellor Carol Christ has announced that beginning Tuesday, March 10, several campus actions will go into place to mitigate the potential transmission of coronavirus in the Bay Area community.

These changes are effective starting Tuesday, March 10 and will remain in place through spring break, which ends March 29. A decision on what will happen on March 30 and beyond will occur at a later date, based on the latest coronavirus information at that time.

Read the full message from Chancellor Carol Christ.