UCLA extends work from home period for faculty, staff through winter quarter

UCLA extended the work from home period for UCLA workers until the end of winter quarter, a UCLA administrator announced.

Faculty and staff will continue working remotely through March 19, 2021, said Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck in a Sept. 29 statement sent to UCLA staff. March 19, 2021 is the last day of winter quarter finals week.

The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force, which is in charge of determining UCLA’s reopening status, recommended that the university make the decision, Beck said in the statement. The task force is still in discussions for the university’s winter quarter instruction status, Beck added.

UCLA has not announced academic plans for winter quarter as of this story’s publication.

The extension does not apply to personnel already working on campus, some UCLA researchers, instructors teaching in-person classes and staff at UCLA Health, David Geffen School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry who directly engage in clinical care or training, Beck said.

Staff at UCLA Health and the medical school currently working remotely will receive further instructions from their leadership by Dec. 1, Beck said. He added that the staff at the School of Dentistry will receive additional guidance shortly.

Students and staff who come onto campus are required to fill out a daily symptom monitoring survey before entering campus.

UCLA released a four-phase plan for reopening in September. UCLA is currently in Phase 1 of the reopening process, which requires UCLA to offer less than 8% of courses in person. Phase 2 would expand in-person courses to less than 20% in-person courses and would let libraries, gyms and indoor restaurants reopen at a limited capacity.

There are currently 288 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among UCLA students and staff, according to UCLA’s COVID-19 tracker.