SANTA CRUZ, CA — Two University of California, Santa Cruz staff members may have been exposed to the new coronavirus on Feb. 27 and are self-quarantined at home, working remotely. The workers are looking into testing and have not shown any symptoms.

The two workers were part of the Genomics Institute and visited the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative offices in Redwood City last month. That same day, a contract worker was onsite. The contract worker tested positive for coronavirus, but the UC Santa Cruz workers were not among the seven people who were close enough to the worker to contract direct transmission, according to a statement from the university. UC Santa Cruz also said a student experienced respiratory symptoms and was tested for coronavirus off-campus, but the test came back negative on March 5. The student's roommates were placed in quarantine housing as a precaution and the roommates have returned to their dorm.

Don't miss updates about precautions in Santa Cruz as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters here. The university said its student health center is working with the county and the school Office of Emergency Services has a quarantine protocol for dorming students, which includes a private bedroom, phone-in wellness checks and meal deliveries. Sick students may complete their work remotely.

Students who have a fever and respiratory system will be directed to a separate area of Student Heath Services. Tissues and hand sanitizer are being distributed across campus, and the university said it is also preparing materials and town halls to discuss the situation, the university said.

UC Santa Cruz is working with the county and state health departments, and is not currently planning to cancel classes or adjust its operations.

The university said it will monitor the situation, post information here and notify the community of any updates.

California Braces For Potential Impact Santa Cruz County has not announced any confirmed cases of the virus, but on Wednesday county Health Officer Gail Newel issued a Local Health Emergency for the new coronavirus due to concerns about its spread in neighboring counties and a need to prepare for a potential outbreak. Anyone with concerns about their health should contact their doctor or call 211 to find a local clinic. The county encourages the public to visit santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus for local updates and links to important CDC updates.