July 29 - Updates on COVID-19

Minecraft UCI has created a Lego-like virtual replica of the campus, including the string lighting outside The Paul Merage School of Business. Scroll down for the story and another photo.

UCI UPDATES

Big West Conference postpones fall sports through Dec. 31

Citing COVID-19, Big West officials decided to sideline soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf and tennis competitions through the end of 2020. However, the winter sports of men’s and women’s basketball are still scheduled to begin Nov. 10.

New positive cases

Three campus employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Contacts are being notified. A cumulative case count for UCI campus employees and students is maintained at www.uci.edu/coronavirus.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND STORIES

As COVID upends higher ed, is residential college worth the cost?

PBS interviews a UCI dean, student and vice provost as part of its “Rethinking College” series, and takes a peek at UCI’s landmark study of undergraduate learning and behavior.

Why is there no consensus about reopening schools?

“This is really one of the most perplexing and complex issues I’ve ever faced in 40 years,” says UCI pediatrics professor Dr. Dan Cooper in The New York Times Magazine.

Students create doppelganger UCI on Minecraft

Students who haven’t set foot on campus in months are using Minecraft software to replicate the buildings, bridges, gardens and paths around Aldrich Park. Some are also crafting dorm rooms, classes and even the University Center shopping plaza. “When re-creating a building in Minecraft, you have to take a closer look at the finer details,” one says. “It made me realize how amazing UCI architecture is. With remote learning forcing students to stay at home, it’s nice to still have that virtual connection to the campus.”

UCI COVID-19 VIRTUAL EVENTS

Ask the Chef Live: The History of and How to Eat a Well-balanced Breakfast

UCI Campus Recreation continues its Anteaters at Home series with an episode on breakfast. The online event is Friday at 11:30 a.m. Registration is required.

HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER

Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor.

Corona beer and coronavirus: A tale told in tweets

What happens when a popular beer shares the name of a deadly virus? Twitter tells the tale.

‘Free masks’ comedy duo strikes again

The surfer dude pranksters who recently tried to solve Huntington Beach’s “mask shortage” by handing out free face coverings have a new video filmed in their hometown of San Clemente. As before, they get amusing reactions.

COMMUNITY UPDATES & NEWS

Note: Some news organizations require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal for students, faculty and staff.

Health care workers may be less, not more, vulnerable to COVID

“Despite the headlines you see saying health care workers are at higher risk of contracting the disease, we haven’t seen that,” researcher says. “In fact, we’re seeing the reverse of that. The question is, why?”

Virus death toll in U.S. tops 150,000

More than 150,000 people have died in the United States from the coronavirus, according to a New York Times database, as the rate of deaths continues to rise on the heels of increasing infections and hospitalizations in many areas.

OC Board of Education to sue Gov. Newsom

The Orange County Board of Education decided in a closed session Tuesday night to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom to let schools in high-risk California counties reopen for the 2020-21 school year.

6,300+ virus cases linked to U.S colleges

A New York Times survey of every public four-year college in the country, as well as every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities, revealed at least 6,300 cases tied to about 270 colleges over the course of the pandemic.

Best Buy announces Thanksgiving closure

Best Buy is the latest major retailer to announce it will stay closed on Thanksgiving, following Walmart, Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Instead, Best Buy will bolster its digital options and offer seasonal deals “earlier than ever,” the company said.

OC Muslims adjust Eid traditions to pandemic

One of the biggest celebrations in Orange County is Uplift Charity’s annual Eid carnival, started 15 years ago. This year’s carnival, hosted by the Muslim-based nonprofit, will be drive-through and take place outside the Islamic Society of Orange County mosque in Garden Grove on Aug. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List

The Washington Post, July 28, 2020
Coronavirus outbreak in Major League Baseball casts pall over other reopenings 

NBC Los Angeles, July 29, 2020 (Video)
UC Irvine helping teach community-centric contact tracing method in Orange County

Fox 11 Los Angeles, July 28, 2020
Orange County reports 187 new COVID-19 cases, 15 more deaths

Forbes, July 28, 2020
Covid crimes: Espionage, hackers and why America is vulnerable

Vox, July 29, 2020
The pandemic is raising concerns about how teens use technology. But there’s still a lot we don’t know.

Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2020
California won’t conquer the coronavirus, and fully reopen, until it can protect essential workers

Share America, July 29, 2020
Grounded by pandemic, NASA interns keep researching

CNN, July 29, 2020
Permanent WFH sounds great. But it’s harder than it sounds

MORE INFORMATION

OC-COVID19.org - powered by UCI and UCI Health, a website devoted to providing timely, useful, evidence-based information about the novel coronavirus pandemic to our friends and neighbors across Orange County

UCI Coronavirus Information Hub - more information on campus status and operational updates

UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health