John Swartzberg

UC Berkeley recently relaxed COVID-19 restrictions due to a decrease in cases, including the elimination of surveillance testing and relaxed mask requirements in campus buildings regardless of vaccination status. 

Low vaccination rates in young children have prompted a California Senate bill requiring vaccination in students to be placed on hold.

As UC Berkeley marks the two-year anniversary of moving to remote instruction March 10, 2020, the campus community reflects on the unforgettable moments.

The University of California Office of the President announced Feb. 15 it will continue its mask protocol, contrasting with UC Berkeley's mandate ending. 

Students and staff will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors after BUSD announced it will end the outdoor mandate effective Feb. 28.

While a few celebrated the Feb. 28 lifting of the mask mandate, many others argued that it is still necessary.

The campus dashboard has seen a dip in positive COVID-19 cases in the week since returning to in-person classes, but at-home tests may complicate this data.

Amid a surge of omicron cases, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ confirmed the return to in-person instruction in a campus wide email Tuesday.

According to the city of Berkeley’s COVID-19 dashboard, 91% of all Berkeley residents are fully vaccinated, and of those, 46% have received a booster shot. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Tuesday to address in-person learning in school and staffing shortages amid a COVID-19 surge driven by the Omicron variant.