Dear Pacific community,

In support of the health, safety and well-being of our Pacific community, we would like to highlight some current guidelines and general information below. For more detailed information, including the COVID-19 Health and Safety Plans, please visit the COVID-19 Update website. 

Weekly Testing

• Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals will be required to undergo regular weekly testing beginning the week of August 16, 2021. Testing hours and locations are available here.
• We urge you to follow our testing requirement. Those who choose not to comply will be subject to the university’s disciplinary policies for students and employees.

Masking

• Masks are currently required for everyone while indoors (including during course instruction) and should only be removed when eating/drinking, when in a room alone or with your roommates in your residence hall. Unvaccinated individuals must maintain social distance (6’) from others whenever they remove their mask to eat/drink.
• Masks should be at least two layers of a washable, breathable fabric or a medical mask or a disposable mask; face shields are not considered an acceptable alternative to a mask, unless combined with a mask drape.
• Violations of the indoor masking requirement should be reported to Human Resources (employees), the Dean of Students (Stockton and Sacramento students) or the Associate Dean (San Francisco students).

Vaccinations

• Vaccinations are required for faculty, staff and students on all Pacific campuses. A Declination Form is available for those requesting exemption for medical or religious reasons. Individuals who have an approved exemption form are considered unvaccinated and will be required to adhere to all guidelines pertaining to those who are unvaccinated, including weekly testing.
• Per the CDC, even those who have had COVID-19 should be vaccinated. Pacific will not accept a COVID-19 diagnosis or illness as an alternative to vaccination.
• Pacific only shares vaccination information on a need-to-know basis. Faculty and staff who believe they have a compelling need to know the vaccination status of others should complete the request form and submit it to Human Resources for consideration. The vaccination status of students will not automatically be shared with instructors in Fall 2021.
• For the health and safety of our campuses, Pacific has implemented a travel policy that does not allow unvaccinated/partially vaccinated students or employees to travel for official Pacific out-of-state business without authorization. A Travel Exemption request form can be found here.

Symptoms and Exposure

• Please refer to the COVID-19 isolation and quarantine requirements to prevent the spread.
• Employees and students should self-screen daily for potential COVID-19 symptoms.
• As required by Cal/OSHA, Pacific will continue to provide general campus exposure notices for COVID-19-positive individuals. Those who are determined to be a “close contact” of a COVID-19-positive person will be notified through the contact tracing process.

Staying Healthy

• Adopt and apply healthy hygiene habits, including washing your hands frequently and covering your coughs and sneezes.
• Hand-sanitizing stations are available at entrances and exits of all campus buildings. In addition to regular cleaning schedules for classrooms, sanitizing wipes will be available in each classroom for both faculty and student use. Pacific’s facilities cleaning protocol can be found in the University Health and Safety Plan.

Pacific is following Cal/OSHA, CDC and public health departments’ guidelines for COVID-19. As guidance is updated or revised, the university will continue to keep you informed of developments and recommendations that may have an impact on teaching, learning and working on campus. For any questions, please visit our COVID-19 Update website or email COVID-19_information@pacific.edu.

Sincerely,

Christopher Callahan
President

Maria Pallavicini
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Chair, COVID-19 Council