According to the UC Davis Campus Ready website, "Screening symptom-free students and employees has helped to identify COVID-19 and track cases on campus." The website also states: "The campus testing guidance aligns with CDC guidance that frequent COVID-19 testing contributes to low case rates in university...settings."

We know that UCD's current testing policy has been very effective. Unfortunately, the virus continues to spread, along with the Omicron variant, and cases are increasing in many parts of the U.S., including California. This is clearly not the right time for UCD to stop requiring COVID-19 tests for asymptomatic students and employees. Yet the Chancellor recently announced: "Starting Monday, January 17, asymptomatic testing for vaccinated students, faculty and staff will be ‘strongly recommended/encouraged,’ but voluntary, instead of required every two weeks."

If this new policy is implemented on January 17th, cases are likely to increase on campus. Many UCD students, faculty and staff members will feel less safe in classrooms, the library, the MU, etc. And if worse comes to worst, in-person classes and activities will have to be cancelled, which happened recently at Stanford, Cornell, NYU, Princeton, and other schools. Thus, we request that the policy *not* be changed to "strongly recommended/encouraged." We believe that during Winter Quarter 2022, all vaccinated students, faculty and staff at UCD should be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once every two weeks.