Message from UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program (CCTEP)

Categories: Admin note

Jonathan Santanni

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Dear students, faculty, and staff of UIC,

While this winter season brought much lower numbers of COVID-19 cases when compared to the Omicron surge last year, the City of Chicago’s community risk level remains medium at this time. Unique to this year is the large number of cases attributed to influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viruses circulating at the same time as COVID-19.

Time and time again, our program has seen a large increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases on campus following a holiday break. As we welcome you back to campus, we would like to remind you of the following guidance to keep you, your friends and family, and the UIC community safe:

  • Get tested upon return. Testing is especially important following travel, social gatherings, and attendance at large indoor crowded venues.
    • Campus saliva testing will reopen January 9th, and is quick, convenient, and no appointment is required.
    • PCR tests are most reliable, but COVID-19 self-tests are easy to use, produce rapid results and are widely available. Repeat testing is recommended.
      • Four free COVID-19 at-home test kits can be requested using this site.
  • Masking continues to be required in UIC classrooms, lecture centers, research laboratories, libraries, UIC shuttles and buses, learning and success centers, and healthcare settings.
    • In the classroom, instructors/lecturers may take off their mask to lecture when greater than 6 feet from the students/audience.
    • We strongly encourage you to mask in other settings such as offices, hallways, lobbies, lounges, student centers, etc. to protect yourself, and others from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.
  • Stay home and do not come to campus if you are sick or have any symptoms, no matter how mild! No matter the illness, if you are sick, you should stay home even if you test negative for COVID-19.
    • If you have symptoms of COVID-19, seek PCR diagnostic testing. Diagnostic testing is available on campus for employees at University Health Services and at Student Health Services for students. We encourage you to reach out to us for further guidance.
  • Report to us if you have symptoms of COVID-19, a positive COVID-19 test result, or exposure to someone with COVID-19.
    • UIC isolation and post-exposure guidelines can be found here.
    • FAQs, travel recommendations, and resources for navigating isolation can be found on our website.

We look forward to continuing to serve you this semester.

Stay well,

UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program