UC Could Allow Use Of 6,000 Dorms: Coronavirus

CALIFORNIA — The University of California said it has nearly 6,000 rooms in housing facilities that could be used by county emergency officials seeking to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

UC and the state discussed the possibility of temporarily housing COVID-19 patients at dorms but ultimately determined student housing was not a good fit for statewide planning, said UC spokesperson Andrew Gordon in an email. Still, the state encouraged UC to work with county emergency services offices.

Students would be kept apart from any people being sheltered at UC dorms, he said.

"As we navigate this time of unprecedented crisis and uncertainty, health and safety are our highest priorities," Gordon wrote. "We will continue to do everything we can to respond with compassion and care."

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All of California is under an indefinite stay-at-home order and campus life at UC schools has all but crawled to a stop.

Lectures are held via videoconference and dorms are only occupied by students unable to return to their permanent residence. UC is encouraging students to leave and providing them with prorated housing and dining refunds in hopes to create as much space on campuses as possible, Gordon said.

Students who remain on campus have been moved from multiple-occupancy rooms to single-occupancy rooms to maintain social distancing, he said.

Campuses — including student housing and dining — remain open and workers are still performing essential campus functions, Gordon said.

Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures