UCLA advises students to refrain from traveling over spring break
UCLA administrators are discouraging all students, faculty and staff from traveling during spring break to limit the spread of COVID-19. (Kanishka Mehra/Photo editor)
By Anushka Chakrabarti
March 8, 2021 6:23 p.m.
UCLA is encouraging students, faculty and staff to limit travel and outings during the upcoming spring break to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
People should limit travel unless it is essential, Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck and former Academic Senate Chair Michael Meranze said in a campuswide email Monday. Beck and Meranze also recommended following safe traveling measures, such as getting vaccinated when possible, social distancing and wearing a mask.
“Now is the time to stay the course when it comes to following health and safety protocols,” Beck and Meranze said in the email.
The COVID-19 positive test rate in Los Angeles County has been steadily declining from the beginning of the year. The daily reported percentage of positive COVID-19 tests has decreased from a 20% positivity rate in late January to less than 3% this week, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
There have been 22 active COVID-19 cases in the UCLA community over the past two weeks, according to the UCLA COVID-19 case location dashboard.
The California Department of Public Health issued a travel advisory Jan. 6 that recommended people who travel more than 120 miles from their place of residence quarantine for 10 days after returning.
Students living in on-campus housing have the option to stay through spring break. Students in on-campus housing and university apartments will be required to isolate for 10 days after March 28, the last day of spring break, even if they do not travel, according to UCLA Housing guidelines.
Spring quarter will remain mostly remote, but UCLA plans to return to mostly in-person instruction by fall quarter.
