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12/01/2022 - Campus Response to Recent Increase in COVID-19-Positive Case Activity

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To: Caltech Undergraduate Students

From: Kevin M. Gilmartin, Vice President for Student Affairs
Lesley Nye, Interim Dean of Undergraduate Students

Re: Campus Response to Recent Increase COVID-19-Positive Case Activity

This morning, the Institute asked Venerable House residents to self-quarantine due to a sudden uptick in COVID-19 positive cases within their community. Given this activity, and an increase in COVID-19 positive cases in the broader Los Angeles community, the Institute is implementing additional preventative health measures. All undergraduate students are asked to:

  • Submit a surveillance testing sample today or tomorrow; and 
  • Limit social interactions through the weekend.

Additionally, the Institute has evaluated the events planned for the weekend and made decisions about how to prevent any further spread. For the weekend, the following is in place:

  1. Intrahouse events, or events within the residential communities, can continue as long as there are NOT outside guests included in the event.
  2. Large community concerts and events are canceled.
  3. Club events with undergraduate and graduate students can continue outside. Undergraduates should only attend if they have had a negative COVID-19 test in the last 48 hours.

These are not steps that any of us wanted to have to take, but ultimately these steps are in the best interest of the community overall as we approach the end of the term, finals, and winter break.

It is important to remind you that if you have ANY symptoms, please report them at  https://access.caltech.edu/covid19_reporting/, test right away, and self-quarantine until you get the results back.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea. (Please note: This list does not include all possible symptoms.)

Tomorrow, a message to all faculty will be sent to update them on the current situation and to ask for additional flexibility in deadlines in order to accommodate illness, as well as to work with students who are in quarantine to provide hybrid options as necessary.

Please take care of yourselves and one another.