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COVID-19

Last updated: August 9, 2022

On this page, we’ll share the public health related guidance and expectations for living in campus housing for 2022-23. For information on UC Berkeley’s COVID-19 response, please visit coronavirus.berkeley.edu.

Our residents’ health and well-being are of paramount importance. We will continue to work closely with campus and local public health experts, and we will share more about the anticipated 2022-23 public health guidance and residential experience expectations on this page as more information becomes available. On this page, you’ll find:

Vaccination

Students, faculty and staff at UC Berkeley are required to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 unless they have an approved exemption. Learn more about the vaccination requirement. 

Fall Move-In COVID Testing

Campus housing residents are required to take a rapid test for COVID-19 on Move-In day, and are strongly advised to test before Move-In and after arrival as well. Residents will be provided with a free over-the-counter rapid COVID-19 test when they move in. Masks are strongly recommended for residents and their helpers at Move-In. Visit the Move-In page for details on testing and other important information.

Masks

Masks indoors are strongly recommended, but not required at this time. Please visit coronavirus.berkeley.edu/masks for the latest guidance on masks on campus. Mask policies are subject to change and are guided by local public health orders.

Isolation and Quarantine

For 2022-23, residents of campus housing with COVID-19 will still be required to isolate in accordance with public health requirements, however they will be allowed to isolate in place in their rooms while wearing a high-quality mask, until released by UHS. They can also choose to isolate off campus. Roommates of COVID-positive residents will not be required to quarantine; however, roommates at high risk of severe disease (per CDC criteria) may request a temporary move to another location (such as a hotel room) for the duration of the infectious period. Medically high-risk residents will be provided with accommodations, transportation, meals, and other basic needs at no extra cost.

Due to high vaccination and booster rates within the UC Berkeley community along with higher population-level immunity and mutations in the virus that may be associated with milder illness, UC Berkeley will be using an isolate-in-place protocol, changing from the previous policy announced in June. It’s important to keep in mind that campus housing residents who become sick with other illnesses, such as the flu or a cold, usually remain in shared rooms with their roommate(s) while recovering.

In order to reduce risk of transmission, we will take a number of steps in our housing and dining facilities, such as (but not limited to): offering to-go meals at the doors of our dining commons, continuing enhanced cleaning/sanitizing practices, providing sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies, opening windows, and requiring students with COVID and COVID-like symptoms to wear high quality masks at all times during their isolation period (double layer surgical, N95, KN95, or KF94), as required by local public health order. 

For more information, including details on what to do if you test positive, what you can do during isolation, and more, please visit the Isolation Quarantine page.

What to do if you test positive

  • Immediately text (preferred) or call the UHS Covid Response Team at 510-220-7180 with your name, student ID number, your result, and state that you are currently living in campus housing. You are required to disclose a positive test result to the UHS Covid Response Team.
  • In addition, send a message through etang.berkeley.edu to the COVID response team with the date of the positive test, and upload an image of the test result along with your student ID photo.
  • Isolate in your room and wear a high quality face covering (double surgical mask, KN95, KF94, or N95) at all times. You will be called by the COVID response team to check in and to discuss your isolation duration.
  • Students who have severe symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, or fever lasting more than 3 days) should seek clinical care immediately; for milder symptoms, please stay home and rest.  Students who are unvaccinated, or at high risk of severe disease, may benefit from prompt prescription of Paxlovid or other medication, but a visit is not required. 
  • If you test positive for COVID-19 and live in campus housing, regardless of your vaccination status and symptoms, the UHS COVID-19 Response Team will contact you through the eTang portal within 24 hours with next steps regarding isolation.

Contract Cancellation

If you wish to cancel your Academic Year 2022-23 Cal Housing contract without financial penalty, you must do so by Sunday, August 7, 2022. To submit your cancellation request:

  • Please go to portal.housing.berkeley.edu and log in with your CalNetID.
  • Locate the “Online Forms” link in the top left, and select the “Cancellation Form.”
  • Follow the prompts there to select 2022-23 term
  • Select COVID-19 as your cancellation reason
  • Submit your cancellation request form to our office
  • Email reshall@berkeley.edu if you have questions or need more information on this process. 

Where to go for help

  • Call the 24/7 UHS Advice Line at (510) 643-7197 if you are ill and are unsure if you need to be seen.
  • Cal Housing: Email reshall@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-4108 for questions involving your housing contract or housing assignment.
  • Your RD (Resident Director) or RA (Resident Assistant): Questions involving rules and requirements in your housing unit, roommate conflict, etc.