COVID-19

Since March 2020, this site has provided information about the university's response to COVID-19. Originally offering detailed plans about future "repopulation" efforts, the primary focus of this website today is on planning your in-person experience while at The Beach. 


Steps for Planning Your Time On Campus

Inquiries related to student vaccine requirements should be directed to Student Health Services which outlines required and recommended immunization on its website.

Employees are recommended to receive immunization against COVID-19 but are not required to be vaccinated at this time.

Testing Off Campus 

Some of the off-site options for testing are on the Los Angeles County public health website.

Our campus strongly recommends but no longer requires facial coverings in indoor spaces. Faculty members cannot require students to wear masks or segregate students who choose not to wear a mask in classrooms as a result of this policy. Mask wearing may only be required for students when there has been a verified COVID-19 exposure in a classroom.

We will revisit this policy as appropriate with the guidance of public health agencies. 

Other notes:

  • Faculty and staff who will be interacting with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as others for whom speech reading and access to facial expression are essential components of communication, may wear FDA-approved clear masks, and/or face shields with draping, which have been approved by the LACDPH. Both are available at the Bob Murphy Access Center upon request. Please contact bmac@csulb.edu or Gloria.Williams@csulb.edu for more information.

Physical distancing is no longer a requirement of CAL-OSHA or public-health guidance, though distancing is encouraged especially in areas where employees may remove their masks including lunch and break rooms. Individuals who are not vaccinated are also recommended to maintain six feet of physical distancing from others while outdoors.

While professional cleaning reduces health risks, every member of the CSULB community has a joint responsibility to sanitize their own work area and shared resources, including meeting rooms and commonly touched surfaces. Disinfecting materials will be provided in these areas so occupants can do their part to prevent the transmission of pathogens on surfaces. Employees requesting additional cleaning supplies should contact COVID-PPE@csulb.edu.

The following steps have been taken relating to building ventilation in preparation for general building re-occupancy and sustained occupancy:

  • All building mechanical air handler systems were inspected and repaired per manufacturer recommendations.
  • Mechanical ventilation duct systems were disinfected and all buildings were temporarily closed and flushed with 100% outside air.
  • New mechanical equipment filters were installed to the highest efficiency possible.
  • Mechanical ventilation was increased to the highest point without impacting cooling and heating the buildings.
  • Ceiling fans, where applicable, were turned off or programmed to blow air up if an interior space requires the use of fans as part of the building climate control system. 
  • Ongoing maintenance of mechanical ventilation systems in all buildings was increased, including changing out of high-efficiency filters as needed; inspection and repair of mechanical equipment; disinfection of duct systems; and increasing clean outside air into buildings, when feasible.

Public-health officials note that ventilation and other indoor air quality improvements are an addition to, and not a replacement for, mandatory protections including wearing face coverings (except in certain high-risk environments that require using proper respiratory protection), washing hands frequently, and limiting activities that bring together people from different households.

  • Receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Using soap, scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
  • If you need to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and then thoroughly wash your hands.
  • Routinely disinfect frequently touched items in your home.
  • Use a face covering as recommended or required by current public health guidance.
  • Get plenty of rest, consume ample water, and eat healthy meals

You should not come to campus if you are ill.

If you are a student who has tested positive for COVID-19, it is recommended to please fill out this form to notify Student Health Services.

If you are a faculty or staff member, you should immediately report an illness to your administrative services manager (ASM) and fill out the form linked on the single sign-on page titled "Illness Reporting." Employees who test positive for the virus and are either asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms may be able to work remotely.

Quarantine

Fully vaccinated individuals who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are not required to quarantine at this time, yet guidance is determined on a case-by-case basis. 

If you are exposed to COVID-19 it is recommended you test in three to five days after exposure, monitor for symptoms and wear an upgraded mask such as a KN-95 for 10 days.

Those who test positive but have no symptoms should plan to isolate from others for five days after they receive positive test results. Isolation can end if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines AND either have no symptoms OR their symptoms are mild to improving. A negative COVID-19 test is no longer required to leave isolation. 

For more information on quarantining best practices, visit the County of Los Angeles Public Health website.

As of March 3, 2023 employees who test positive for COVID-19 should notify their manager and prepare to isolate for five days. On the sixth day after testing positive, an employee can return to work if their symptoms are improving, while wearing a mask an additional five days. They may remove their mask after two consecutive COVID-19 negative tests taken one day apart.