Posts Tagged: coronavirus
Out of State Work and Travel Guidelines; Daily Clearance to Work Survey
Out of State Work and Travel Guidelines
UC ANR prides itself on being a collaborative, community-focused organization with a mission to improve the lives of Californians throughout the state. To serve that mission, it is critical that we continue to be considerate of when and how we work outside of the state. To ensure we are prioritizing our communities and the health and safety of individuals, we have updated the Out of State Work and Travel Guidelines:
Out of State Work
Employees may temporarily relocate out of state to work in limited situations where the remote work would not impact the duties of the position, and/or opportunities for engagement. Employees in these temporary arrangements should keep in mind there may be additional considerations with health insurance and income, state or local tax implications. Permanent out of state remote work opportunities are not currently supported. ANR does not allow employees to work outside of the US. Temporary out of country telecommuting may be considered on an exceptional basis only.
Please discuss with your department head and review the Flexible Work Guidelines for additional information. Feel free to contact Human Resources with any additional questions you might have.
Travel Guidelines
UC ANR advises employees to ensure they are following all relevant CDC guidelines before commencing work-related travel out of state. At this time, employees who can travel for work out of state safely may do so; however, we continue to urge caution and avoidance of unnecessary travel. Safety measures may include prohibiting travel to some destinations, testing before or after travel, and quarantining before and/or after travel, depending on the itinerary and traveler's vaccination status. More information for UC ANR travelers can be found on our COVID-19 Travel Guidance webpage, which maintains links to current CDC and CDPH guidance and advisories for travelers.
Daily Clearance to Work Survey
This is a reminder that employees who are working on site, in the field, or out in the community need to complete a Clearance to Work survey each day they are working anywhere other than their home. The survey is an important step to ensure we are all self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms and ensuring that people who have symptoms, have tested positive, or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 do not come to work or represent ANR in in-person interactions. The best way to complete the survey is by a unique link that is emailed to employees each morning. Supervisors or Directors can request that employees be added to the online survey by submitting an updated In-Person Employee Roster to Brian Oatman.
If you don't pass the survey, stay home. Notify your supervisor and don't come in to work. If you think that a “stay home” result on the survey is an error, reach out to your supervisor and contact ANR Risk & Safety Services at the number indicated on the survey response message. In some cases, we may assess the situation and have a new survey sent to you. Also, if you answer the survey that you are not scheduled to work onsite and then later find that you need to come to the worksite, request a new survey. Don't come in to work until you have completed an updated survey. If you can't get a new email survey, use the paper/pdf version of the Employee Clearance to Work Survey, notify your supervisor of the changed status, and sign in at your workplace to note your attendance.
UC finalizes COVID-19 vaccination program policy
After an extensive consultation period, UC's final policy regarding required COVID-19 vaccinations has been approved. For the safety and well-being of the entire university community, the policy will require, with few exceptions, that all students, academic employees and staff be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus on or before August 15, 2021.
The policy allows for limited exceptions to COVID-19 vaccination based on a medical exemption, disability accommodation, or religious objection; pregnant individuals may also request a deferral if they wish for the duration of the pregnancy. Contact Dave Ritz (daritz@ucanr.edu) for further information.
The policy states that employees who choose not to be vaccinated, and have no approved exemption, accommodation or deferral, potentially put others' health at risk and may face disciplinary actions.
Uploading employee COVID vaccination verification
If you have not already, please upload proof of vaccination by completing this short COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking Status Survey. Information gathered in this survey will only be used by designated Human Resources and Risk Management officials for tracking, reporting and determining workplace safety procedures as policy or law requires.
More information coming
UC is expecting to follow up with additional information on the implementation shortly. We know many of you will have questions or may wish to discuss your individual situations further. Please review the Systemwide - Frequently Asked Questions and contact Dave Ritz (daritz@ucanr.edu) with any questions you may have.
Thank you for helping to keep our community healthy.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Proof of COVID-19 vaccine due July 15
For the safety and well-being of the entire university community, UC has proposed a COVID-19 vaccination policy. This policy will require, with few exceptions, that all students, faculty and staff be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. In support of this policy, individuals are required to show proof of vaccination.
Please take the short COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking Status Survey, by tomorrow, July 15. Note: some people have experienced challenges in uploading the image of the vaccination record - please be patient if you have to upload it more than once. Review the June 14 ANR Updatefor additional information about the survey.
Please also be reminded that the Daily Clearance to Work Survey for 2nd Street employees requires taking your temperature each morning.
Thank you for helping to keep our community healthy.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Reminder: Proof of COVID-19 vaccine required by July 15
For the safety and well-being of the entire university community, UC has proposed a COVID-19 vaccination policy. This policy will require, with few exceptions, that all students, faculty and staff be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
In support of this policy, individuals are required to show proof of vaccination. Please take this short COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking Status Survey, by July 15, 2021. Information gathered in this survey will only be used by Human Resources and Risk Management officials for tracking, reporting, and determining workplace safety procedures as policy or law requires. Review the June 14 ANR Update for additional information.
Thank you for helping to keep our community healthy. Please contact Dave Ritz (daritz@ucanr.edu) with any questions you may have.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Masks and other guidance
This message is to follow-up on last week's ANR Update about Reopening Guidelines for UC ANR locations. While the Governor and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) have issued new guidance concerning where and when members of the public should wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we have additional requirements to consider in our workplaces and programming. Cal/OSHA adopted the revised COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) which took effect on June 17. The UC ANR Mask Protocol summarizes these requirements.
Put simply, employees who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear a mask while working onsite at UC ANR workplaces, as long as they have provided valid proof of vaccination. Employees who are not vaccinated must wear a mask while working indoors, with a few exceptions.
To comply with the ETS and upcoming UC policy, UC ANR began a survey last week to collect information about employees' COVID-19 vaccination status. Please respond to the survey soon, if you have not done so already.
Additionally, every UC ANR location needs to update its site-specific COVID-19 Prevention Plan, to conform to the latest safety standards and current operations.
With these multiple changes happening simultaneously, employees should continue to wear a mask while working indoors until the following actions have occurred:
- Employee has responded to the COVID-19 vaccination survey to verify they have been vaccinated. Employees who are not vaccinated or are granted an exemption or exception to the vaccination policy will continue to need to wear masks
- Location has updated its COVID-19 Prevention Plan
Once these two steps are completed, vaccinated employees may work indoors in UC ANR workplaces without masks.
Please don't ask your colleagues if they have been vaccinated. If you see a colleague who is wearing a mask, please don't speculate on the reason. There are several reasons why someone may choose to or be advised to continue to wear a mask, such as other health issues that make them more vulnerable, personal choice or concern over risk of COVID-19 or other illness, or they may have a medical exemption or religious exception from being vaccinated for COVID-19. The vaccination status of individual employees will be kept private. Information may be shared with supervisors or others in the office only as needed to ensure mask rules are followed or as needed to implement accommodations for employees.
Additionally, visitors to UC ANR offices or locations should not be asked about their vaccination status. Visitors may self-attest whether they are vaccinated and therefore do not need to wear a mask inside UC ANR facilities. UCCE county offices must also follow any County procedures regarding mask requirements. Sample signs are available on the UC ANR COVID-19 reopening resources page that can be printed and posted to inform visitors of local mask policy.
Also, please note that there are some settings where our work may take us that still require masks for all persons. This includes:
- Travel – while using public transit or transit hubs – such as airports
- Schools/youth settings – if you are working on-site in K-12 schools, masks are still required when indoors. Masks, distancing and other preventive measures are still required indoors for day camps (see CDPH checklist https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/checklist-daycamps--en.pdf). Note: we are working with the State 4-H office to develop further guidance on how the current health guidance applies to various 4-H activities or settings.
- Healthcare, long-term care, shelters, and correctional facilities.
If you are attending any of these settings for work, be prepared to wear a mask and adhere to the location's COVID-19 protocols.
Thank you all for your cooperation as we move to another phase of our response to this pandemic.
Brian Oatman
Director, Risk & Safety Services