02/28/2022 - New COVID-19 case reported to Caltech

To: The Campus Community

From: Jennifer Howes, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Wellness

Date: February 28, 2021

Re: New COVID-19 Case Reported to Caltech

Since our last update on February 25, Student Wellness Services (SWS) has learned that one member of the Caltech community has tested positive for COVID-19. They include:

• One employee

This brings the total number of reported COVID-19 cases among members of the Caltech campus community and off-campus facilities to 834 since March 2020.

The affected individual is now isolating. In collaboration with the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD), SWS will identify and notify anyone in the Caltech community who may have had close contact with this individual. Anyone found to be at risk of exposure will be provided specific instructions for quarantining and isolation. Currently, three students are isolating in spaces set aside in Caltech housing for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Do not come to campus if you are ill. Please review the isolation and quarantine procedures if you test positive or learn you are a close contact of someone through activities off campus.

The Institute's vaccination policies require that all employees and students who are eligible for a booster shot get boosted as soon as they are able to do so. In addition, all undergraduate students—regardless of vaccination status and living location—and graduate students living in Caltech housing or enrolled in in-person classes for the winter term, as well as all individuals in the campus community who have an approved exemption to the Institute's vaccination requirement, are required to participate in the twice-weekly surveillance testing program, which is facilitated through an on-site laboratory located in the Chen Neuroscience Research Building.

All employees who are reporting on-site, including faculty members and instructors who are involved in in-person instruction, are strongly encouraged to enroll and participate in the surveillance testing program as well. Please note that, despite the recent lifting of state and county mask mandates, Caltech's universal indoor masking requirement will remain in effect for all campus buildings and facilities, as well as outdoor classrooms, through at least the end of the winter term.

It is imperative that all members of our community remain diligent in adhering to all preventative measures and to county and city health orders that have been implemented to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The safety and well-being of Caltech's students, staff, and faculty is our top priority. All members of the Caltech community are expected to:

• Immediately notify SWS if you are ill, have had a positive test for COVID-19, or have been exposed to anyone with a positive test for COVID-19.
• Stay home if you are ill, have a fever, or have otherwise been instructed to quarantine or isolate.
• Participate in Caltech's surveillance testing program.
• Regularly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Wear a well-fitting surgical mask or respirator (N95, KN95, or KF94) when indoors.

More information about Caltech's response to the pandemic can be found on the Caltech Together coronavirus website. Reports of illness, testing metrics, and confirmed case counts can be found on a dedicated dashboard. Please note that JPL tracks COVID-19 cases separately and is not included in these data.