Campus Alert Archive
UCLA

119 Bruins Quarantined Over Measles in Franz and Boelter Halls

CAdisease outbreakadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 25, 2019, UCLA announced that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health had confirmed a UCLA student contracted measles and attended classes in Franz Hall and Boelter Hall on April 2, 4, and 9 while contagious. The university notified more than 500 students, faculty, and staff who might have been exposed; LACDPH quarantined 119 students and 8 faculty members who could not immediately prove measles immunity until their records could be verified.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of California, Los Angeles
Public R1 · CA
~45,000 studentsBruinAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionUCLA Newsroom statement (text reconstructed from the published statement and contemporaneous quotes)670 chars
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has notified UCLA that one of our students has been diagnosed with measles. The student attended classes in Franz Hall and Boelter Hall on April 2, 4 and 9 while potentially contagious. We have identified and contacted more than 500 students, faculty and staff who may have been exposed. Most have been cleared. Individuals who cannot provide evidence of measles immunity may be subject to a quarantine order issued by the county. Measles is highly contagious and can be serious. If you have been notified that you may have been exposed and you develop symptoms, contact a health care provider before going to a clinic.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The notice names two specific buildings and three specific exposure dates (April 2, 4, and 9, 2019), letting recipients self-assess their own risk window rather than triggering a campus-wide panic.
UCLA framed the action as driven by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which held the legal quarantine authority; the university's role was identifying and notifying potential contacts.
The instruction to call a provider before arriving in person is a measles-specific control measure: walking into a waiting room can expose others, since the virus lingers in the air for up to two hours.
UPDATEEmail+23 h
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from ABC30 and CNN reporting on the LACDPH quarantine figures509 chars
Update: Of those potentially exposed, 119 students and eight faculty members who have not yet provided records establishing measles immunity are subject to quarantine until their immunity can be confirmed. Most are expected to be cleared within 24 to 48 hours. A small number may need to remain in quarantine for up to seven days. UCLA is providing accommodations and care for affected on-campus residents. If you are not under a quarantine order, you are not affected and may continue your normal activities.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The update converts the vague initial exposure pool into a precise quarantine count of 119 students and 8 faculty, the figure most widely cited in national coverage.
The 'up to seven days' clause reflects the maximum incubation-confirmation window for individuals whose immunity records could not be located quickly.
The closing reassurance that unquarantined recipients 'may continue your normal activities' is a deliberate anti-rumor move during a high-profile public-health event.
Context

Background

The April 2019 UCLA measles quarantine was one of the highest-profile US campus public-health responses of the pre-COVID era, coinciding with a national measles resurgence and a Los Angeles County outbreak. According to UCLA's own statement, an infected student attended classes in Franz Hall and Boelter Hall on three days in early April while contagious, prompting outreach to more than 500 potential contacts. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health ordered 119 students and 8 faculty into quarantine because they could not promptly document measles immunity, while a parallel quarantine unfolded at Cal State LA. The episode illustrated how vaccination-record gaps, not the disease's reach alone, can drive the scale of a campus quarantine.
Analysis

Key Findings

Of more than 500 people contacted, only those who could not prove measles immunity (119 students, 8 faculty) were quarantined, showing how documentation gaps drive quarantine scale
UCLA named specific buildings and dates so recipients could self-assess exposure rather than alarming the entire campus
The county health department, not the university, held the legal quarantine authority; UCLA's role was contact identification and accommodation
The episode ran in parallel with a Cal State LA quarantine during the 2019 Los Angeles County measles surge
Outcome
Most of those quarantined were cleared within 24-48 hours once immunity was confirmed; UCLA arranged on-campus care for quarantined residents. The case was part of a wider Los Angeles County measles surge that also led to a quarantine at Cal State LA.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Protecting our campus after reported measles case - UCLA Newsroom
    newsroom.ucla.edu
  2. News
    Measles quarantine issued at two California universities - CNN
    cnn.com
  3. News
    Measles outbreak: Quarantines issued at UCLA, Cal State LA - ABC30
    abc30.com
  4. News
    UCLA, Cal State LA Quarantine Students Who Cannot Prove Vaccination - CBS Los Angeles
    cbsnews.com
Tags
measlesdisease-outbreakquarantinepublic-healthcaliforniavaccinationadvisory
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion