Oakland University To Begin Winter Semester Online

(CBS DETROIT) - Oakland University announced on Tuesday, Dec. 21, that all courses for the Winter 2022 semester will begin online on Jan. 5 due to concerns over the continuous spread of COVID-19.

The university said that "barring a further need to respond to pandemic conditions," classes will resume in regularly scheduled formats on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Some classes may begin in person on Jan. 5, such as labs, lab-based research, and field experiences. Students enrolled in these courses should contact their professor for additional information, the university said.

"We are proud of the health and safety measures our campus community has taken over the past two years," said Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. "We are grateful that the campus community compliance rates are very high. That said, we also understand that we have to continue to actively work to maintain our health and safety as we go into the Winter semester and the new year."

With the way the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading the university says that the extra two weeks will help allow students time to quarantine if they were exposed to COVID-19 over the break.

"All campus community members are strongly encouraged to get fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus if not already, as well as to receive booster shots as advised by the CDC," said Pescovitz. "All other infection prevention practices and expectations in place for students, faculty and staff will be maintained into the winter semester. This includes the mask mandate inside campus buildings."

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