UC Berkeley COVID-19 recovery framework for spring 2021 released
UC Berkeley released a campus recovery framework Friday for the spring 2021 semester regarding campus activities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Written by a UC Berkeley public health committee, the framework limits various aspects of campus activities based on local and campus epidemiological metrics, according to campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore. Creation of the framework was, as always, done in coordination and consultation with the Berkeley Public Health Division, Gilmore added.
“The intent of the document was to help various campus departments and units in planning for Spring 2021 by translating the current State Blueprint, local Public Health orders, and doing so in a way that was intentionally more restrictive in some areas,” Gilmore said in an email.
The recovery framework is separated into a set of five tiers that range from purple to green, which the framework calls the “Aspirational New Normal.”
While Gilmore said the stay-at-home order supersedes most of the framework, prior to the order, UC Berkeley was in the purple tier, which is classified as “widespread.” According to the framework, “widespread” status indicates that there are more than seven new daily cases per 100,000 people, more than 7% positive COVID-19 tests and more than 50% of isolation housing being used.
It is only possible to change tiers within the framework after two weeks of sustained performance in that tier, according to the framework. While tiers should not change more frequently than two-week intervals, it is possible to shift two levels in the case of a dramatic change in local epidemiology.
Campus guidelines can never be less restrictive than the local tier, although UC Berkeley does have the potential to be more restrictive than what is required, as stated in the framework.
“We have unique testing and contact tracing capabilities, for example, so we in turn expect a higher standard,” Gilmore said in the email. “We are also limiting gathering size a little more than the City of Berkeley or the state as we look at epidemiologic modelling that continues to suggest limiting the size of gatherings helps limit outbreaks.”
In addition to testing and contact tracing, campus resources outlined in the framework include asymptomatic screening, personal protective equipment, infection control supplies, cleaning and facility ventilation assessments, wastewater testing and an electronic badge system that will be fully operational by spring 2021.
Six-foot physical distancing and mask-wearing must also be maintained on the UC Berkeley campus, per the framework’s policy. Likewise, the framework stated outdoor activities are preferential to indoor, though keeping all activity duration at a minimum is recommended.
Contact Claire Daly at cdaly@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter at @DalyClaire13.