BOULDER – The University of Colorado Boulder has announced that students will return to campus this fall for on-campus housing and in-person classes with new policies and safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The university announced its plans on Tuesday by introducing new guidelines including mandatory safety training, mask-wearing requirements, smaller class sizes and the creation of small groups of on-campus students who will live, socialize and go to class together, the Daily Camera reported.
The plans are designed to provide students with an on-campus experience while simultaneously implementing safety measures to curtail COVID-19. While fall classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 24, students will stay home after the Thanksgiving break and finish their classes remotely.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
The decision to have students stay home after Thanksgiving is aimed at reducing potential spread of the virus between their homes and the campus.
“Our ability to return our students, faculty and staff to campus will affect our ability to ensure educational opportunity. Some of the students who would be most disproportionately affected if we were to be fully remote are our first-generation, underrepresented, low-income and rural students,” Chancellor Phil DiStefano said in the statement.
The university said it will enhance its on-campus testing capability, create a campus response team to track, notify and isolate those exposed to the coronavirus and change the student code of conduct to include compliance with COVID-19 public health requirements and increased sanitation.
