Last updated: April 13, 2023
On this page, we share the public health related guidance and expectations for living in campus housing for 2022-23.
Our residents’ health and well-being are of paramount importance. We will continue to work closely with campus and local public health experts, and we will share more about the anticipated 2022-23 public health guidance and residential experience expectations on this page as more information becomes available. On this page, you’ll find:
Vaccination
Students, faculty and staff at UC Berkeley are required to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 unless they have an approved exemption. Learn more about the vaccination requirement.
Masks
Masks indoors are strongly recommended, but not required at this time. Please visit coronavirus.berkeley.edu/masks for the latest guidance on masks on campus. Mask policies are subject to change and are guided by local public health orders.
Isolation
For 2022-23, residents of campus housing with COVID-19 will still be required to isolate in accordance with public health requirements, however they will be allowed to isolate in place in their rooms while wearing a high-quality mask. They can also choose to isolate off campus. Roommates of COVID-positive residents will not be required to quarantine; however, roommates at high risk of severe disease (per CDC criteria) may request a temporary move to another location (such as a hotel room) for the duration of the infectious period. Medically high-risk residents will be provided with accommodations, transportation, meals, and other basic needs at no extra cost.
Due to high vaccination and booster rates within the UC Berkeley community along with higher population-level immunity and mutations in the virus that may be associated with milder illness, UC Berkeley will be using an isolate-in-place protocol. It’s important to keep in mind that campus housing residents who become sick with other illnesses, such as the flu or a cold, usually remain in shared rooms with their roommate(s) while recovering.
In order to reduce risk of transmission, we will take a number of steps in our housing and dining facilities, such as (but not limited to): offering to-go meals at the doors of our dining commons, continuing enhanced cleaning/sanitizing practices, providing sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies, opening windows, and requiring students with COVID and COVID-like symptoms to wear high quality masks at all times during their isolation period (N95, KN95, KF94 or surgical and cloth “double masking”).
For more information, including details on what to do if you test positive, what you can do during isolation, and more, please visit the Isolation for COVID-19 page.
What to do if you test positive
- Review these instructions from UHS.
- Isolate in your room and wear a high quality face covering (KN95, KF94, N95, or surgical and cloth “double masking”) at all times.
- Students who have severe symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, or fever lasting more than 3 days) should seek clinical care immediately; for milder symptoms, please stay home and rest. Students who are unvaccinated, or at high risk of severe disease, may benefit from prompt prescription of Paxlovid or other medication, but a visit is not required.
Where to go for help
- Call the 24/7 UHS Advice Line at (510) 643-7197 if you are ill and are unsure if you need to be seen.
- Cal Housing: Email reshall@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-4108 for questions involving your housing contract or housing assignment.
- Your RD (Resident Director) or RA (Resident Assistant): Questions involving rules and requirements in your housing unit, roommate conflict, etc.