Self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure is an important part of UC Santa Barbara’s Return to Campus Program. In accordance with the Santa Barbara County Health Order and the campus plans for gradual reopening, all UC Santa Barbara faculty, staff, student employees, and UC Santa Barbara contractors who are reporting to campus (or any other physical UC Santa Barbara location) must conduct a daily self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms and/or exposure and state which building(s) they will be entering that day. Additionally, in accordance with President Drake’s UC Systemwide Executive Order, you must to attest as to whether or not you have gotten a seasonal flu shot or are otherwise exempted from doing so. UC Santa Barbara requires all other individuals who will be physically on campus or on-site at other UC Santa Barbara facilities to review and report their symptoms and/or exposure as well.
The personal information we process
As part of the COVID-19 Screening Program, you will use the UC Santa Barbara Qualtrics platform on your computer or mobile device to register and respond to daily surveys. We will obtain personal information in the following ways:
Registration
During the one-time registration, we collect your name, email address, and your supervisor’s name (if applicable) and email address. You will also be asked if you’d like to be contacted for voluntary COVID-19 testing when it is available.
Daily COVID-19 Screening Survey
On days that you will be physically on campus or at another UCSB facility, you will access the survey from an email link and then log in by using your UC Santa Barbara credentials. You will be asked which building(s) you will enter that day and if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms (in accordance with the most current County, State and/or CDC requirements) or if you have been exposed to COVID-19. The survey does not ask you to identify which, if any, of the symptoms you are experiencing. The building(s) you select and your “yes” or “no” responses will be recorded.
Flu Shot Attestation
The survey also asks you to attest to having received a seasonal flu vaccination if you plan to be on campus any time after November 1, 2020. Once you attest to having gotten the flu vaccination, or attest that you are exempt from doing so based on an approved medical exemption or accommodation, this question will no longer be included in your daily building log and symptom checker.
Why and how we use your personal information
We will only use your personal information as described below:
Responses are primarily used to assess whether you have symptoms currently associated with COVID-19 or possible exposure to COVID-19 to determine if you can be present on site at a UCSB facility that day. The survey is not used to diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice for any health condition. The building data responses are used for case investigation purposes in the event you, or someone working in a building you were in, tests positive for Covid-19.
Your data may also be used for the following purposes:
- To meet government requirements for campus reopening;
- To provide you and your supervisor with documentation showing whether you should be present on-site;
- To coordinate additional localized sanitation procedures;
- To prioritize and contact groups or roles for COVID-19 testing as it becomes available;
- To help UC Santa Barbara identify possible outbreaks on campus (modeling)*; and
- For potential use by researchers in scholarly discovery*
*When used for purposes (5) and (6), your data will be de-identified and combined with responses from others. No identifiable information from you will be contained in public reports or publications.
Who has access to your identifiable information
We will only share or disclose your personal information as described below. Your information will NOT be a part of your employment/personnel file (for employees) or your student education records (for students), nor will it be shared with your healthcare provider. If you have any of the COVID-19 symptoms, you will be encouraged to contact your healthcare provider directly.
Your data may be visible to:
- Supervisors will receive a copy of the certificates (“green” and “red”) for each of their employees and can view which employees have answered the survey each day.
- COVID-19 clinical operations team (this includes the case investigation team);
- Office of the CIO staff appointed to aggregate cleared vs. non-cleared certificates for campus reporting; and
- Qualtrics administrators from Institutional Research who administer the surveys.
How we protect your personal information
We and our contractors maintain technical, physical, and administrative safeguards to protect the security, integrity, and privacy of personal data, including the following practices:
- Storing information we collect on computer systems located in controlled facilities with limited access;
- Protecting the transmission of your information over the Internet, using encryption, such as the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol;
- Using a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosures; and
- Limiting access to data to only authorized personnel.
All persons authorized access to your data are informed of their obligation to maintain the confidentiality of responses.
How Long We Keep Your Identifiable Data
Detailed survey responses will not be shared, but will be stored for 60 days to permit aggregate reporting and to ensure case investigation is possible in the event you or someone in your building tests positive for Covid-19. Your identifying information will only be used to send your certificate after you complete the daily screening survey, and will be deleted bimonthly to preserve the confidentiality of the information you enter. Copies of certificates will be used to collect statistics for cleared vs. not cleared respondents, and kept for one month. Deidentified aggregate data relating to the number of people cleared or not cleared to work daily will be retained only so long as necessary to support the overall assessment of campus reopening activities.
Supervisors must delete their copy of the employee certificates at the end of each day. Employees should delete their certificates daily.
Knowing Your Choices and Rights
In accordance with the University of California Consensus Standards for Campus Operations and recommendations from the UC System-wide Testing and Tracing Task Force and the UC Symptom Screening Task Force, employees and contractors reporting physically to the UC Santa Barbara campus or other UCSB facility must complete the survey prior to reporting to work. If you choose not to, it may be deemed a refusal of a lawful order requiring symptom screening prior to entering the work site. Be prepared to explain the reason for your refusal to your supervisor and/or UCSB point of contact. If there is not a valid reason for refusal, you may be placed on a leave without pay.
You have a right to:
- Access your own data; and
- Rectify or correct inaccurate or incomplete data concerning you
Changes to this privacy statement
This privacy statement will be updated periodically to reflect any material changes in the Symptom Screening Program and practices. These changes will be evident by inserting a new “Effective Date” (see below) and are effective when they are posted to this website. Treatment of information we collect now is subject to the version in effect at the time such information is used.
Contacting Us
If you have any general questions about how your personal information is used as part of the COVID-19 Screening Program, please email privacy@ucsb.edu.
Effective Date
This statement is effective as of 21 April 2021.