In-Person Work Guidelines

Updated: May 17, 2021 to:

• Changed policies to adhere to new state guidelines

Overview

Anyone who lives in Santa Cruz or is able to travel to Santa Cruz can participate in in-person Slugbotics work. Participation is entirely optional, and you do not have to do anything that you think will put you at risk or that you are not comfortable with.

These guidelines serve as recommendations for any in-person Slugbotics work gatherings, in addition to those that are specifically scheduled by team leads.

General Guidelines

Testing and Risk

• PCR testing, the type of COVID test that UCSC uses, has a false negativity rate of between 67% and 21%. There is no such thing as "testing negative" The test is only able to confirm that you do have COVID. There is no way for it to show that you don't have COVID. For this reason, we are not using COVID test results as our only way of determining if it's safe to come to a meeting.

• All participants must have at least one member of their household tested weekly. Send a screenshot of your test results to your team lead on Slack before coming to an in-person meeting.

  • Anyone living or working on the UCSC campus will already be doing this.

  • On-campus testing is available to any UCSC student, even if they do not have UCSHIP or are not currently enrolled.

• All participants must notify a team lead if they are experiencing any symptoms on days when in-person work is scheduled.

• All participants must notify a team lead if they develop any symptoms in the three days following any in-person work.

• Anyone who participates in a potentially high-risk activity can’t attend in-person work for 10 days, regardless of any test results. Obviously we’re not going to track everywhere you go, but just use common sense to determine if something is risky. The main risk is spending an extended amount of time in close proximity to people outside of your immediate social bubble. You can see an overview of the risk level of different activities here, but some basic examples are listed below.

  • Going to a bar or indoor restaurant

  • Going to a sports event, large indoor mall, party, public demonstration, or crowded beach

  • Indoor gatherings involving members of several households

  • Traveling out of state

• Anyone who tests positive or experiences significant symptoms cannot work in-person for 10 days, as recommended by the CDC.

• If it turns out that someone had COVID while at a meeting , they need to immediately inform everyone else who was at that meeting. It is recommended that everyone then quarantine for 10 days. UCSC has resources for quarantining on campus if you have been exposed to someone with COVID.

Group Guidelines

• Work groups are limited to a maximum of 5 people.

• Non-vaccinated participants must wear an acceptable face covering whenever possible. Face coverings are not required for vaccinated participants when outdoors.

  • Bandanas or neck gaiters are not acceptable face coverings

• All participants should try to stay at least 2 meters away from each other when possible

Location Specific Information and Requirements

Thimann Labs

Lab access is currently limited to specific team members, following S-lab safety protocols.

320 Main

This is the house with the greatest number of Slugbotics members and many of the lab tools have already been moved here. The main work space will be a table set up in the driveway.

• All activities must be completed outdoors, except for the following:

  • PCB soldering

  • 3D printing

  • Getting items/putting them away

• Indoor work should follow the following guidelines:

  • You must let the group know if you are going indoors.

  • You must use a fume scrubber while soldering indoors.

• You are allowed to use the bathroom. Do not close the window.

West Cliff Village

This is the pool where we test the ROV. It is a short walk away from 320 Main. West Cliff Village is letting us continue to use the pool, but we need to take additional precautions.

• You will have to sign a waiver upon entry to the pool, acknowledging that you will not sue the Westcliff Village Homeowners Association if you contract COVID-19 while using the pool.

• Do not go to any other parts of West Cliff Village except to get to/from the pool area.

• One person in the group will be designated as the swimmer, and will have to go into the pool to retrieve objects. This person can’t wear a face covering while in the pool, so it is important to stay at least 2 meters away from them.