UC Santa Barbara is aiming to curb the number of employees on campus, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s order that California residents stay at home in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

All remaining in-person finals scheduled for today have also been canceled. Max Abrams / Daily Nexus

Only employees who “maintain critical operations” should come to campus, according to an email sent to the student body late Thursday night. The campus will remain open to provide “essential services,” Yang said, but the university is aiming to “minimize the number of people on campus as much as possible while still maintaining the critical functions of the University.”

All remaining in-person finals scheduled for today have also been canceled. The campus will still remain open and operational during spring quarter, and all dining commons and Student Health will also remain open for the time being.

However, several on-campus services, such as the University Library, University Center, Recreation Center and Student Resource Building, are closed. 

Yang added that individuals who cannot work from home and who are not “essential service providers” are eligible for paid leave under University of California President Janet Napolitano’s executive order. 

On Wednesday, Santa Barbara County, following suit of several other counties, cracked down on the number of open businesses within the county. All bars, pubs, wineries and breweries within the county were recommended to close indefinitely, and all restaurants were asked to convert to takeout and delivery only; several businesses in Isla Vista have done so, while others have kept to regular hours.

There have been nine diagnosed cases of coronavirus within the county as of Thursday night. 

This article will be updated. 

Print

Evelyn Spence
Evelyn Spence harbors a great love for em dashes and runs on nothing but iced coffee, Jolly Ranchers and breaking news. She serves as the managing editor and can be reached at evelyn@dailynexus.com, managing@dailynexus.com or at @evelynrosesc on Twitter.