UC Riverside experts weigh in

The omicron variant of COVID-19 has shuttered UC Riverside's classrooms, if only for a short time.  Like most University of California campuses, UCR opted to postpone in-person instruction, owing to the emergence of the highly transmissible variant. The week of Jan. 17 was identified for returning to the classroom. While classrooms are closed, campus remains open. Residence halls, dining facilities, libraries, the bookstore, the Highlander Union Building, and the Student Recreation Center remain open, but with some reduced occupancy and hours. 

Containing the COVID-19 pandemic depends on the degree to which people exhibit prosocial behavior — behavior that benefits others. We wear masks to protect ourselves, but also our neighbors. We get vaccines to stop the spread of the coronavirus, to edge society closer to herd immunity. A new study from UC Riverside finds that the degree to which adolescents exhibit prosocial behaviors generally, and COVID-19 health protective behaviors in particular, depends on the security they feel in relationships with their primary caregivers.