COVID-19 Safety & Prevention Resources, Information, and Campus Guidelines
COVID-19 & Respiratory Illness
Cabrillo College provides current information and resources for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. The College encourages students and employees to follow California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommendations while complying with any applicable legal, public-health, or workplace requirements.
When you are sick: CDPH recommends staying home when sick to reduce the spread of COVID-19, flu, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses. For most Cabrillo students and employees, this is a public-health recommendation rather than a College stay-home requirement unless an applicable law, public-health order, workplace rule, or other requirement applies. If you stay home, current guidance generally supports returning to normal activities once symptoms are improving overall and you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
If You Test Positive for COVID-19
• A positive test does not automatically create a Cabrillo stay-home requirement unless an applicable rule requires exclusion.
• If you are ill, CDPH recommends limiting contact with others and staying home while sick.
• A negative COVID-19 test is not a general Cabrillo requirement for returning to campus.
• After illness or a positive test, consider added precautions around others, especially people at higher risk for severe illness.
CDPH Prevention Recommendations
• Vaccination: CDPH recommends staying up to date with available COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination reduces the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
• Masks: A quality mask such as an N95 or KN95 can be especially helpful for people at higher risk, in crowded spaces, or indoors.
• Hand hygiene: Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol when soap and water are not available.
• Coughs and sneezes: Cover with your elbow, arm, or a tissue; discard the tissue and wash or sanitize your hands.
• Fresh air: When safe and feasible, open doors or windows to increase outdoor air and reduce buildup of virus particles indoors.
Exposure to COVID-19
• Monitor for symptoms after a known exposure.
• Test if symptoms develop or when testing would help guide treatment or precautions.
• Consider masking, cleaner air, distancing, or testing when around people at higher risk for severe illness.
Masks & Respirators on Campus
Cabrillo College is a mask-friendly environment. Please respect the choices of others.
• Employees may request N95 respirators and disposable surgical masks for their area through FP&PO.; Training is required for employees choosing to use an N95 under the District's voluntary-use process.
• Students may request masks from Student Health Services or the Watsonville Student Resource Center.
Vaccines
CDPH recommends COVID-19 vaccination for protection against severe illness, with particular emphasis on people at higher risk. Talk with your healthcare provider about the vaccine schedule appropriate for you.
Appointments may be available through MyTurn, local pharmacies, healthcare providers, or the local health department.
COVID-19 Testing
• Students may obtain free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests from Student Health Services. Availability at other campus locations may vary.
• Employees may contact Environmental Health & Safety or Student Health Services regarding available campus test kits.
• Follow the manufacturer's current instructions and expiration information for the specific test you are using.
Treatment
If you are feeling sick or test positive and are at higher risk for severe illness, contact a healthcare provider promptly. CDPH notes that treatments work best when started soon after symptoms begin.
COVID-19 Reporting & Resources
Students: If you test positive for COVID-19, you are encouraged to contact Student Health Services for current health guidance and information about available testing or health resources.
Employees: Employees who are ill or test positive should follow current CDPH health recommendations and applicable District leave procedures. Contact Environmental Health & Safety if you believe multiple related cases may be occurring in a Cabrillo workplace, class, department, event, or other campus setting, or if you have a workplace-related COVID-19 safety concern.
Outbreaks or clusters: Suspected outbreaks involving multiple related cases connected to Cabrillo should be reported to Environmental Health & Safety for evaluation and any required public-health or workplace follow-up. Cabrillo may provide additional direction when a specific workplace, outbreak, public-health, or legal requirement applies.
Campus Contacts
Student Health Services 831-479-6435
Environmental Health & Safety krkascha@cabrillo.edu OR 831-234-5804
Current CDPH context as of August 31, 2026
CDPH reported increasing COVID-19 activity in California in August 2026 and encouraged vaccination and layered prevention measures. Healthcare settings, outbreaks, public-health orders, and other specific circumstances may have different requirements.
831-234-5804
COVID HISTORY
Effective February 3, 2026, when the final Cal/OSHA reporting requirement ends, COVID-19 will be treated like other infectious diseases under general public health and workplace safety laws, not through special pandemic-era mandates. Public health agencies (state/local) can still issue guidance as needed, but mandatory COVID-specific regulations will no longer exists after February 3, 2026.
Summer 2025: The COVID-19 Response & Compliance team continues to closely monitor COVID-19 on campus and relevant communications from county, state, and federal authorities. The team, along with Student Health Services, continues to provide information on any new COVID-19 developments that would impact the campus and continues to take action to ensure the health and safety of the Cabrillo College community.
Fall 2024: Updated 2024-2025 flu and COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Limiting the spread of respiratory viruses helps everyone, especially vulnerable members of our community like children, older adults and those who are immunocompromised. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is encouraging all Californians to get vaccinated this season to protect themselves and their loved ones from respiratory viruses. Respiratory infections like flu, COVID-19, and RSV are common during the fall and winter seasons, and getting immunized against these diseases has been proven safe and effective in preventing serious illness in children and adults (CDPH). Let's keep working together to keep our community safe and healthy. Remember to wash your hands, wear a mask in crowded places, and stay home if you're feeling sick!
Fall 2024: Cabrillo College is aligning isolation recommendations/requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19 with the California Department of Health COVID-19 isolation recommendations that went into effect January 9, 2024.
Summer 2024: In keeping with trends from previous years, during the Summer Semester 2024, COVID-19 cases rose alongside the summer season heat in Santa Cruz county. Summer surges were expected and the increase in cases followed similar trends that were observed in the past two years.
January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommends the following actions to align with common practice of other respiratory viruses. These actions outline what to do when an individual tests positive for COVID-19 and how to protect others, including the most vulnerable in the community.
Recommendations for people who test positive:
Stay home if you have COVID-19 symptoms, until you have not had a fever for 24 hours without using fever reducing medication AND other COVID-19 symptoms are mild and improving.
Follow the recommendations below to reduce exposure to others:
Mask when you are around other people indoors for the 10 days* after you become sick or test positive (if no symptoms). You may remove your mask sooner than 10 days if you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart. Day 0 is symptom onset date or positive test date.
Avoid contact with people at higher-risk for severe COVID-19 for 10 days*. Higher-risk individuals include the elderly, those who live in congregate care facilities, those who have immunocompromising conditions, and that put them at higher risk for serious illness.
Seek treatment. If you have symptoms, particularly if you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, speak with a healthcare provider as soon as you test positive. You may be eligible for antiviral medicines or other treatments for COVID-19. COVID-19 antiviral medicines work best if taken as soon as possible, and within 5-7 days from when symptoms start.
The potential infectious period is 2 days before the date of symptoms began or the positive test date (if no symptoms) through Day 10. (Day 0 is the symptom onset date or positive test date).
Recommendation for close contacts of positive covid cases:
If you have new COVID-19 symptoms, you should test and mask right away.
If you do not have symptoms, and are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and would benefit from treatment, you should test within 5 days.
If you do not have symptoms and have contact with people who are at higher risk for severe infection, you should mask indoors when around such people for 10 days. Consider testing within 5 days after the last exposure date (Day 0) and before contact with higher-risk people.
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-19-Isolation-Guidance.aspx#
January 9, 2024: The California Department of Health no longer recommends testing for all close contacts and instead recommends testing only for:
All people with new COVID-19 symptoms
Close contacts who are at higher risk of severe disease or who have contact with people who are at higher risk of severe disease
In workplace outbreaks it is still required to test all close contacts
January 9, 2024: The California Department of Health has adopted the following definition of "infectious period," which now applies to the COVID-19 Prevention regulations:
For COVID-19 cases with symptoms, it is a minimum of 24 hours from the day of symptom onset. COVID-19 cases may return if 24 hours have passed with no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and their symptoms are mild and improving, OR
For COVID-19 cases with no symptoms, there is no infectious period for the purpose of isolation or exclusion. If symptoms develop, the criteria above will apply.
The potential infectious period is 2 days before symptoms began or the positive test date (if no symptoms) through 10 days after symptoms began or testing positive.
January 9, 2024: The California Department of Heath has updated their masking guidelines for those who have tested positive. If you become sick or test positive (without symptoms): Mask when you are around other people indoors for the 10 days after you become sick or test positive (if no symptoms). You may remove your mask sooner than 10 days if you have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart. Day Zero is symptom onset date or positive test date (whichever came first).
December 8, 2023: The Inspire Diagnostics testing site in Parking Lot R on the Aptos campus will be closed and their last day testing on campus will be Thursday December 7, 2023.
November 12, 2023: For Employees with SISC Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield HMO Insurance Coverage:
As part of the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency:
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccinations will no longer be covered out-of-network.
SISC Blue Shield PPO plan out-of-network coverage previously ended in May 2023
For questions about your benefits, please contact Margie Casillas, HR Benefits Analyst, at macasill@cabrillo.edu.
November 11, 2023, the Public Health Emergency status expired. California Health & Human Services- Information on the end of California's COVID-19 State of Emergency and the Federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19
Spring 2023: To align with COVID-19 Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education, and because it presents an inequitable barrier to entry for students, Cabrillo College has removed the vaccination mandate for students, faculty, and staff. Cabrillo College continues to strongly encourage vaccination against COVID-19 for all students, faculty, and staff. Information on current vaccine recommendations can be found at the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccines page