Dear Campus Community,
Today, I am writing to announce two important pieces of information.
1. A new UC vaccination policy has gone into effect.
2. All UC Riverside employees and students must upload a vaccination record by Monday, August 16.
As of last week, more than 330 million doses of vaccine had been administered and 158.6 million individuals were fully vaccinated in the United States. In recent months, COVID-19 cases have been declining in areas where vaccination rates are high. New cases are spiking in areas where vaccination rates are low. Public health officials across the country consistently say the same thing: nearly all coronavirus-related deaths are now occurring in unvaccinated people.
For five months, we have been encouraging our campus community to get vaccinated in advance of policy change and in the interest of individual and collective health and safety. We have also provided ample time to submit proof of vaccination. Below you will find more details about submitting your record.
Submit Your Record by Monday, August 16
Immunization records are housed in the HIPAA-secure Epic system. If you have received your vaccination but have not yet submitted your information, please complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking Form by Monday, August 16.
We have begun reviewing compliance by department and will provide regular updates to campus leadership for further examination as we approach the August 16 deadline.
The vaccination policy includes a narrow range of exceptions for individual medical reasons or religious beliefs. More information will be forthcoming for employees seeking an exemption on medical, disability, or religious grounds; or deferral (based on pregnancy).
Several times I have made the point in campus communications that we understand that not all employees can receive vaccination. This makes it even more crucial that all of us who can be vaccinated are vaccinated.
Face Coverings
Anyone who has not yet submitted proof of vaccination must continue wearing face coverings when on university property. Many employees have already received clearance to be on campus without face coverings because they submitted their vaccine record. However, without proof of vaccination, wearing face coverings is still required. Additionally, per California Department of Public Health, face-coverings are still required in healthcare and childcare settings which include Student Health Services, UCR Health Clinics, and Early Childhood Services.
The policy was developed to ensure health and safety at the UC campuses. Thank you for upholding our values by doing your part to keep our campus community healthy and safe.