Throwaway account for obvious reasons.
Last week was my first day of work at UC Berkeley. This place is literally straight up 100% totalitarian.
- Vaccination proof required by uploading a scan during the offer letter acceptance process. Vaccination must have taken place within 6 months.
- Citizenship proof required by showing the passport over a webcam (this is OK as employers have to validate citizenship)
- I had to get all 10 fingers fingerprinted at UC Berkeley Police Dept.
- I had to get a COVID-19 test at the RSF Field Center on the first day before going to office. So, my DNA is now collected and secured against passport identity.
- Have to report *daily* what my symptoms are using eTang website.
- Have to get a booster shot after the 6 months deadline passes.
- Daily onslaught of COVID-19 news in the inbox. The tone feels like it is the early days of COVID-19 pandemic when we didn't have a clue and there was a bit of a chaos (March 2020). These emails are there to scare the shit out of you.
- If there is a breakout or even one person has a case, there would be warning emails flying around - the whole thing feels totally dystopian.