The world came to a stop two years ago citing the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This new obstacle forced colleges and universities to move to online instruction. With the recent surge of cases and new variants of the virus appearing, institutions are looking for ways to protect their students. Morgan State University announced that they will be conducting in-person classes fully starting Jan. 24 but there are guidelines students and faculty must follow in order to keep the community safe.
“With the new year comes a new semester and a new opportunity for us to take stock of what’s important for the long-term success of our university and our students. Given the recent surges in positive COVID cases, the prevalence of new variants and an uptick in hospitalizations, we recognize that our collective success aligns with our capacity to limit the spread of the virus and safeguard our community as best we can,” the university stated on their website.
The university posted a list of protocols students and faculty must follow to be able to return to campus. Starting Jan. 10, they are required to submit a negative COVID test. Students moving into university housing are required to provide a negative test 24-72 hours before moving in. Students are required to provide their vaccination record or proper exemption by Jan. 14. Those who are only partially vaccinated are required to be fully vaccinated by Feb. 18. In addition, everyone must be masked at all times while on campus.
Testing and screening will be available on campus and the university urges students who are sick to stay home. The university also suggests receiving a booster shot for further protection.
“A booster shot increases protection against severe illness for many COVID-19 variants,” they stated on their website.
Some classes will have online instruction available for students as 85% of classrooms being used are equipped with the technology to provide remote instruction.
For more information regarding plans for the Spring semester, please visit https://www.morgan.edu/news.
