UConn has announced that it is tentatively restarting its classes on August 31. A plan for dealing with COVID-19 has been submitted to the UConn Board of Trustees.
UConn Tentatively To Restart Classes Aug. 31
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut tentatively set Aug. 31 as the first day of classes, but President Thomas Katsouleas cautioned students and staff that it won't be business as usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our draft plans call for an academic semester and campus experience that will be unlike any we have seen previously," Katsouleas wrote in a letter Wednesday to members of the UConn community. "Successfully coming back and maintaining safety will require the cooperation and flexibility of our entire community during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
Under the plan, which will be submitted to the UConn Board of Trustees for consideration and then to state officials in the coming weeks, there will be a mix of online and face-to-face learning. Also, students will not return to campus following the Thanksgiving break and the remainder of the fall semester. Those classes and final exams will be conducted online. A similar concept was recently unveiled by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.
UConn plans to take various steps to promote social distancing, including reducing the capacity of classrooms to allow 6 feet of separation, requiring the wearing of face masks, and reducing density in the residence halls located on the Storrs and Stamford campuses. The plans mirror recommendations set by Gov. Ned Lamont's reopening committee.
Katsouleas said UConn is still evaluating plans to test students for COVID-19. The state's reopening committee has recommended Connecticut ramp up testing capacity to 200,000 tests per week by Sept. 1, in time for the expected reopening of state colleges and universities.
Photo Courtesy of the University of Connecticut’s Facebook page
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