SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego will pivot to online instruction for the first two weeks of its winter quarter in anticipation of a surge in COVID-19 cases, the school announced Tuesday.

Instruction will be fully remote rom January 3 to 17, according to a notice from the office of Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

“During this time we will incrementally populate the campus using a more comprehensive testing regiment,” the notice stated.

All students and employees, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated, must complete a test on the day they return to campus for the winter quarter, the notice said. Those who are not vaccinated, or vaccinated but have not received a booster, will be required to test two times per week.

The notice comes after UC President Michael V. Drake on Tuesday morning requested that campus chancellors “design and implement a plan for a January return to campus that mitigates public health impacts, responds to the unique circumstances facing your campus, and maintains our teaching and research operations.”

The university’s winter break will begin Thursday.

“Our scientists and disease modelers will continue to assess the rapidly changing situation during the Winter Break,” the announcement said.

UC Riverside and UC Irvine joined UCSD Tuesday in announcing a switch to remote instruction for the same period.

Over the weekend, UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers reported an “unprecedented” spike in COVID-19 viral load in wastewater collected from San Diego County’s primary wastewater treatment facility.

Check back for updates on this developing story.