UC Davis has moved to “suspended operations”
Yolo County announced Wednesday that it would be instituting a mandatory shelter-in-place effective instantly through April 7 and applicable to all residents. The order restricts all non-essential activity in an effort to slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
“You and those you live with should remain at home,” states a press release on the Yolo County website. “You are allowed to leave your home for specified reasons to make sure you have the necessities of life such as getting food and medical supplies. You are also allowed to go outside to take care of pets, go on a walk, exercise outside, and enjoy nearby parks, so long as you do not congregate in a group and maintain at least six feet of distance between you and other people.”
Hours after the shelter-in-place mandate was announced, a fifth county resident was confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus. That person, “an elderly adult with chronic health problems,” acquired the disease through community transmission, according to The Davis Enterprise.
The announcement comes just one day after the city of Davis urged residents to shelter-in-place. Yolo County’s mandatory, county-wide directive is not a suggestion and violators may be penalized — the county, however, has said its intent is not to punish residents, “rather, the role of law enforcement is to educate and inform with legal action reserved for significant violations.”
Essential services that provide food, shelter and social services are allowed to operate. These include but are not limited to pharmacies, food and convenience stores, child-care facilities, gas stations, banks, laundromats and restaurants (for delivery or take-out only).
Included in the county’s list of non-essential businesses and services are religious institutions, gyms, large gatherings of people and nonessential medical care that should be postponed if possible.
UC Davis
As a result of advisory notices from both Yolo and Sacramento counties to shelter-in-place, UC Davis is moving to “suspended operations.” The status is enacted when “current conditions pose a safety risk or logistical challenges that are more severe and there is a substantial interest to having a limited number of individuals travel to, or remain at one or more campus locations,” according to university policy.
University employees are working remotely as much as possible. Students are encouraged to take their finals from their place of shelter, however, the library, computer labs, study spaces and classrooms remain open through Sunday, March 22 to ensure students are able to access computers and WiFi.
It was announced recently that both UC Irvine and UCLA had canceled their commencement ceremonies. In their most recent comment on the situation, UC Davis officials told The California Aggie that UC Davis is still planning to have commencement.
Other campus updates:
- Aggie Compass, located in the East Wing of the MU, will be distributing food tomorrow, March 20, from 9 a.m. to noon, and weekly grocery bag pickups will take place every Thursday.
- The Mondavi Center has canceled all remaining public events for its 2019–20 season. Those who have purchased tickets will be contacted.
- Unitrans has further scaled back operations, implementing Weekend Service today through at least March 27. The bus lines that are currently operational are the G, K, M P, Q, O and V-MU lines, beginning at 7 a.m.
- The CoHo remains closed until at least March 30. Dining commons remain open.
Written by: Hannah Holzer — city@theaggie.org
