Juniors and seniors may choose to live in on-campus housing for both semesters. The decision will allow the university to reduce its student population living on campus universities to about 60% of normal, said President Peter Salovey and Chancellor Scott Strobel.
Additionally, most undergraduate courses will be taught remotely so that all students, whether living on or off campus, can attend. A small number of classes, such as labs or study assignments, will be held in person in socially distant settings, the university said.
Undergraduate students living on or off campus must undergo weekly exams. Under Connecticut, where Yale is located, all students arriving from abroad or from states with high Covid-19 transmission rates must remain in quarantine for 14 days. And in general, all students will be asked to wear face masks and social distance.
“These decisions are made possible by the continued decline in community COVID-19 transmission in Connecticut, the creation of a university-wide COVID-19 screening program, and the implementation of other health and safety actions,” Salovey wrote. and Strobel.
Yale’s decision comes as schools and universities across the country are grappling with how to safely reopen while mitigating the spread of a virus that thrives in places with close contact.
Some universities have made plans to bring students back, but with delays in starting classes, shortened semesters, and attempts to reduce travel.
For K-12 schools, the American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing for students to be physically present in classrooms rather than continuing to learn remotely for the sake of their well-being. The group, which represents and guides pediatricians across the country, updated its back-to-school recommendations to say that the evidence shows that the academic, mental, and physical benefits of in-person learning outweigh the risks of the coronavirus.
Connecticut was once one of the most affected states in the coronavirus pandemic, but its case totals have decreased in recent months. On Tuesday, the state reported 152 new positive Covid-19 cases, equivalent to less than 1% of all tests performed.
In general, younger people are less likely to have severe results from Covid-19 infection, but they can still get sick and pass the disease on to others.
CNN’s Alicia Lee and Elizabeth Hartfield contributed to this report.
