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IGIB COVID-19 Guidelines and FAQs

Keeping Everyone Safe at IGIB

Current Expanded IGIB Testing Protocol Through City of Berkeley

     

  • IGIB is following the campus-wide COVID-19 policies
  • The Daily Symptom Screener is still required for working onsite
  • When working onsite, wear a well-fitting mask unless you are inside a solo office with the door closed. KN95, a surgical mask or equivalent with nose fitting/metal form fitting, or an N95 over a cloth mask are recommended.
  • Eat outdoors if possible. If you need to remove your mask to eat indoors, do so at a physical distance from others.
  • Look at the Expanded Protocol to see if you need testing through the city of Berkeley.
  • No UHS/campus testing is currently required for most vaccinated individuals with current records in eTang. Anyone who as not received a full dose of vaccine must get tested weekly at UHS
  • If you are able to work remotely, please do so
  • Get your flu shot (required to be on campus)
  • If you are traveling, follow UHS guidelines

If you believe you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, or have received a positive test outside of UHS, please inform UHS immediately:

  • Faculty or Staff: (510) 332-7192
    Students: (510) 847-9407
  • Please leave your name, date of birth, and phone number as clearly as possible. You should get a callback within 24 hours.

FAQs

I've been vaccinated! Do I still need to do surveillance testing?

Great news! First, you have to upload a picture of your vaccination card onto etang under "medical clearances." Then you can stop surveillance testing through UHS after you are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after your second dose). 

You may still need to get tested through the City of Berkeley. Learn more here. 

I heard that someone tested positive in my lab/on my floor/in the building. What should I do?

A person’s health information is private. No one can share someone else’s positive status or provide any identifying information without their express consent. The person who tested positive should work with contact tracers (a UHS provided service) to notify everyone with whom they may have been in contact. This is currently defined by the CDC as being within 6ft of someone for 15 minutes within a 24 hr period.

Enabling CA COVID Notify can help facilitate this process. Only those that fit this category will be contacted, so keep in mind that you may not be aware when contact tracing is actively occurring.  If you were exposed, self isolate and get tested – call the confidential Occupational Health Covid Hotline (510) 332-7192 (faculty/staff) or (510) 847-9407 (students) for help determining exactly when to get tested and/or stop isolating. If you were not exposed, you do not need to self isolate. You should continue doing the general precautions that everyone in the building should follow (see Building Policies and Ways To Keep Each Other Safe While Working At IGIB).

We may send emails to the building if someone shares their positive result with us, but it is not required and we will never share additional identifying information. 

UHS has lots of information on this topic, as well as an Occupational Health Covid Hotline (510) 332-7192 (faculty/staff) and (510) 847-9407 (students). They are working on a dashboard that will allow on campus workers to know where cases have been identified on campus, but it is still in progress.

I’m concerned about the behavior of others in my lab or in the building, who do I contact?

The best way is to talk to them directly if you feel comfortable. Personal appeals have a much greater effect than hearing a complaint after the fact or in a general sense. If you don’t feel comfortable saying something, use this anonymous Google form to let the building committee know your concerns.

I'm worried that my own PI is not understanding my concerns about safety at work, or is pressuring me to do more work then I consider safe. What should I do?

The most effective way is to talk to others in your lab and meet with your PI directly. If you don’t feel comfortable, or already have and your concerns weren’t appropriately addressed, please use this anonymous Google form. You will need to identify what lab you are in, and we understand that in small labs or specific situations it may be hard to remain anonymous. We will try our best to handle situations delicately.

Who do I talk to if I have concerns about safety in IGIB?

John Dueber, Ariana Hirsh, and Brad Ringeisen are all available to hear your concerns, as well as our peer ombudsmen Connor Tsuchida, Noam Prywes, Julia Borden and Nicholas Karavolias. Please contact whichever one of us you feel most comfortable with. You can also contact the Vice Chancellor of Research via email: vcr@berkeley.edu, report a problem anonymously via the EH&S website, or use the campus Improper Governmental Activity (“Whistleblower”) Report.