Masks – Masking in all indoor settings, with the exception of instructional spaces or environments where it is otherwise explicitly indicated, is voluntary. Masks may be temporarily removed in classroom settings when a student is called upon by their instructor or when they wish to offer comments or ask questions. This is up to the discretion of the instructor.

Vaccination/Booster – All students and employees must be fully vaccinated with a booster shot or have an approved exemption on file with the Institute.

Testing – All undergraduate students, graduate students living in Caltech-managed housing or participating in in-person learning, and employees with an Institute-approved exemption from COVID-19 vaccination are required to participate in twice-weekly surveillance testing. Faculty and staff involved in in-person instruction or reporting on-site are encouraged to participate in the program.

Illness Reporting – Any employee or student who experiences COVID-like symptoms must report their illness through the COVID-19 Reporting Application so that a member of SWS can follow up as appropriate.

Isolation – If you have tested positive for COVID-19, you must report your infection via the COVID-19 Reporting Application and isolate according to SWS instructions.

Quarantine – If you have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you must report it via the COVID-19 Reporting Application and SWS will follow up. Quarantine instructions may vary depending on your vaccination status.

Remote Work – Employees may participate in remote or hybrid work with the approval of their manager or supervisor and in coordination with Caltech Human Resources.

Recreation - Recreation activities and operations have resumed traditional operations.

Athletics - Intercollegiate sports have resumed as usual.

Week of December 5, 2022

• Due to rising case counts on campus, all upcoming student social events and gatherings are postponed until further notice. Additionally, campus dining has resumed grab-and-go meal service. Everyone is once again encouraged to use of high-quality masks in all indoor public spaces.
• The Caltech COVID Surveillance Lab (CCSL) is closed, effective November 14. In its place, the Institute is contracting with UCLA for surveillance test sample processing.
• As part of the Institute's continuing health and safety measures during the pandemic, all undergraduate students must participate in the campus surveillance testing program, which requires that they submit two samples per week, at least 48 hours apart. 

December 7, 2022
Winter Break
From December 24, 2022, through January 2, 2023, the campus will be closed. For graduate students living in residence on campus, we ask that you please complete the online Graduate Winter Break Housing form and identify the days you will be staying in Caltech Housing. Undergraduate students should pick up an Institute-provided COVID-19 at-home antigen test before departing from campus. The Institute is requiring that all students test before they travel back to campus for the start of the winter term. More information and details about testing protocol are available in the updates sent to graduate students and undergraduate students.

December 2, 2022
Update on Campus Response to Recent Increase in COVID-19 Positive Case Activity
The Institute is approaching the limit of our isolation space on campus and, as a result, student dining operations will return to grab-and-go and all upcoming student social events and gatherings are postponed until further notice. We will revisit these events when we return in the winter. 

November 2, 2022
Changes to Caltech's Surveillance Testing Operation
Effective Monday, November 14, the on-campus Caltech COVID Surveillance Lab (CCSL) will close, and daily saliva samples will be processed through the external UCLA SwabSeq service. This will result in some changes to the process.

Read all past updates