COVID-19 remains a presence in our communities statewide. CDC's COVID Data Tracker reports that 47 counties are currently experiencing medium or high rates of cases. Within UC ANR, we are seeing 1 to 2 cases reported daily among our employees statewide. With the safety protocols that we have in place, we do not need to curtail activities, but we all need to remain vigilant and aware of the situation in our communities. Please continue to follow these safety protocols to ensure safe workplaces and programs:
- Symptom screening. It is important that we all continue to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and to stay home if when you are ill or have symptoms that are not from a known or chronic condition. Even if you test negative for COVID-19, if you are sick, please stay home to avoid spreading illnesses to others.
- Get tested if you have symptoms or have been in close contact to someone who has COVID-19. Testing is free and easy from many providers statewide and you may also use at-home antigen tests. See our testing guidance (http://ucanr.edu/covid19testing/) for more information and links to find testing resources in your area. At home, you can order free self-test kits, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, even if you've ordered before. Visit https://www.covid.gov/tests.
- Please report COVID-19 symptoms, exposures, or test results using the COVID-19 Screening Report survey: https://ucanr.edu/covidscreening. Follow the guidance provided by the survey for your situation, including stay at home or quarantine. Depending on the situation, notification to other employees, volunteers, or community members may be required when you learn of a COVID-19 case that was present at UC ANR locations or activities.
- In communities with medium or high transmission of COVID-19, use of masks is strongly recommended for all people while working indoors, particularly in crowded situations or large groups. At work, think about the situations that put you in close contact with groups of people and wear a mask in those in instances. See the UC ANR Mask Protocol for more detail. Specific mask rules or guidelines may vary by location or local COVID-19 conditions.
- Monitor the situation. Use the CDC Community Levels website as well as local public health resources to keep aware of relative transmission of COVID-19 in your county. Be prepared to react if local health orders or other conditions require a change in safety protocols.
We recently revised our primary COVID-19 website, to streamline and reorganize the information and make it easier to find the most current guidance and safety protocols. If needed, you can drill-down from that main COVID-19 page to access additional detailed resources. We also recently revised UC ANR's COVID-19 Prevention Plan and the plan template used by each ANR location, to better align the plan with the most current workplace safety standards and public health guidelines. All ANR locations will be updating their site-specific plans in the near future.
Brian Oatman
Director, Risk & Safety Services