COVID-19 University Event Registration Information
Nationally, COVID-19, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have declined over 80% since January 2022. As we transition from a pandemic to an endemic phase, there are tools that can help ensure a safe return to more normal operations.
We continue to rely on layers of protection (including vaccination, masking, etc.) to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 on campus. The UIC measures and guidance for university events outlined below allows members of our community to assess their own comfort and ability to participate in these activities, while ensuring that our Contact Tracing teams have the best information available to follow-up with identified cases on campus.
In-person, university-sponsored extracurricular activities (on or off campus) that bring together individuals outside of their primary job responsibilities or duties should continue to be registered in advance. Participation in social events remains a personal choice and should not be considered compulsory.
All UIC events must follow the guidelines listed below.
To register your event, please complete the form at the bottom of this page.
Guidance:
- Stay home and do not come to campus or events if you are ill or have COVID-19 symptoms. This continues to be the first and most important safety measure to maintain a healthy and safe campus environment.
- The risk of severe infection with COVID-19 can be mitigated by vaccination and treatment.
- Risk awareness should be provided to participants. Unmasked activities are currently a risk for transmitting and acquiring COVID-19.
- Masking is encouraged for all UIC sponsored events. Masks are still very effective in protecting you from infection and are encouraged as needed. Updated masking requirements for non-clinical campus spaces were effective, February 17, 2023.
- Events that include eating and drinking must provide seating areas for individuals eating to unmask at a distance.
Please email COVIDEVENTPLAN@uic.edu with additional questions or information about event authorizations.
Please note that this events policy is subject to change based upon any continued developments in federal, state or local guidance (Updated: 2/21/23).
Event Registration or Review Process Heading link
EHSO Pre-Approval Requirements: Any event that requests deviations from the guidelines below must submit a safety plan for review and approval by the Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHSO) at least one (1) week in advance of the event. For these events, please complete the form at the bottom of the page.
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Student organization requests
UIC-registered student organizations wishing to reserve space for Student Center East, Student Center West, and outdoor areas must use UIC Connection. Safety plans are required for events requesting an exemption from the event guidelines. Visit the Center for Student Involvement website to learn more and email StudentInvolvement@uic.edu with any questions or concerns.
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Health sciences colleges student organization requests
UIC-registered student organizations from health sciences colleges should work with their respective colleges for event approvals.
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UIC Colleges and Other Units
Event coordinators should register their event using the registration form below. If the event is requesting an exemption from the current event guidelines, event coordinators should also include the event safety plan during registration.
COVID-19 University Events Guidance Overview Heading link
Updated on 2/21/23
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Safety Plan: Depending on EHSO Approval Requirement
Any event that requests deviations from the guidelines below must submit a safety plan for review and approval by the Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHSO) at least one (1) week in advance of the event. For these events, please complete the form at the bottom of the page.
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Capacity: Conditional Limitations
- Indoor events: Limited to pre-pandemic, UIC Fire Marshall approved room capacity limits.
- Off campus events: Limited to City of Chicago (or applicable municipality) capacity mandates. Work with event site to determine appropriate capacity limits.
- Outdoor events: No capacity limits.
Please reference UIC’s COVID-19 Campus Visitor Guidelines about inviting external attendees to campus.
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Social Distancing: Conditional
- Indoor Event: NO social distancing required; however, event must provide seated areas for eating unmasked away from those outside of a social circle or household.
- Outdoor Event: NO social distancing required
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Masking: Considerations for Event Settings
For UIC events, masking is encouraged but not required.
Event organizers should encourage the wearing of masks at events. Please note that masks are still very effective in protecting you from infection and are encouraged as needed. Masking requirements were modified on campus and at UI Health, effective February 17, 2023.
Decision about wearing a mask is a personal decision based on a personal assessment of risk. These factors should be considered in a personal assessment of risk:
- Level of community transmission
- Vaccination status against COVID-19. Vaccination and staying up to date on your vaccinations decreases risk of hospitalization and death significantly.
- Recent infection (typically re-infection within 90 days is not likely; however, with new strains infection can occur within 90 days).
- Whether you have any immunocompromising conditions which can elevate your risk of severe COVID-19 disease or death.
- Note, vaccination and some prevention of infection with EvuSheld decreases the risk of hospitalization and death.
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Eating & Drinking: Permitted with Safety Guidance
Eating and drinking is now permitted at university-sponsored events – on or off campus.
Event organizers must provide spacing for any seated individual eating to allow for distance from others when unmasked.
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Vaccination: Encouraged
Organizers should encourage all attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Monitoring: Required
The COVID-19 monitor should retain the name, UIN, email, and phone number of attendees if needed by contact tracers.
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Screening: Required
- Attendees: Organizers are encouraged to ask for documentation of COVID-19 vaccination and must ask health-screening questions to ensure no one ill is attending events.
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Contact Tracing
A key component of contact tracing is to obtain a list of persons who may have been exposed to infected individuals. If an individual receives a positive test result it will be important to begin compiling a list of persons with whom they have been in direct physical or close contact, particularly if that involved close contact (within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, and is regardless of mask-wearing). For this purpose, it is important to maintain records of all individuals who participated in/attend an in-person university event.
UIC contact tracing will be in touch with anyone who receives a positive saliva test or submits a positive test result and provide any recommendations based upon any event participation, if any.
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Multiple Day Events
For events that take place over the course of multiple days, or for programming that welcomes visitors to campus over an extended period of time (e.g. several weeks), campus environmental health and safety or contact tracing may follow-up with specific recommendations or guidance. In general, multiple day events should take into consideration the following:
- Recommended issuing temporary UINs to allow for testing and access purposes.
- Endorsing the use of testing available on campus and throughout the community.
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Testing
Getting tested before joining any indoor gathering with others who are not in your household helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. A positive test result alerts individuals of infection and that gatherings should be avoided to reduce risk of spreading the disease to someone else. Throughout the pandemic, UIC has relied on COVID-19 saliva testing and contact tracing programs to minimize the spread of COVID-19 among our campus community. UIC now offers the SHIELD Illinois saliva-based test on campus. Read updated COVID-19 guidance for the summer and fall.
Assemble Your Event Safety Plan Heading link
Any event that requests deviations from the guidelines above must submit a safety plan for review and approval by the Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHSO) at least one (1) week in advance of the event.
- Event date, duration, frequency, proposed location, and expected number of attendees, purpose of the event/gathering
- If the event will be located indoors or outside, or involving a tent.
- If the event involves food or beverage and how it will be served.
- Proposed layout of the event showing locations of tables, where attendees will sit or stand, and hand sanitizer locations
- How the safety plan will be monitored and ensured
- How you intend to screen attendees to the event.
COVID-19 University Events Approval Form Heading link
Please complete the form below to register a university event.