UConn releases safety plan as students return
Residential students will be quarantined for the first two weeks of classes, which begin Tuesday. All instruction will be online during that time, according to the plan.
STORRS — The University of Connecticut released its COVID- 19 safety plan for the upcoming semester Saturday, sharing its plan to safeguard against the coronavirus as students began to return to campus over the weekend.
“The Spring 2021 Reopen Plan covers all UConn campuses statewide ( except UConn Health), including residential and commuter students, and assumes a combination of in- person, remote learning and hybrid classes,” the plan said.
“Important to the ability to reopen campuses is
UConn’s ability to continue compliance with social and physical distancing requirements in all spaces, the use of PPE ( face coverings), and other barriers to prevent the spread of COVID- 19, especially in areas where maintaining six- feet of physical distancing is difficult, and following strict cleaning and disinfecting protocols across all campuses,” officials said in the safety plan. “UConn’s goal is to provide the best educational and campus experience for all students wanting to come to UConn.”
The number of students staying on campus remains “severely limited,” officials said in the plan.
At the university’s Storrs campus, 4,559 students will live on campus, with an additional 6,385 living off- campus but physically attending classes. A total of 10,423 possible Storrs students will take classes online only.
At the school’s Stamford campus, 143 students will take up residence; 225 will commute for in- person classes; and 1,920 will take only online classes.
The entire student body is receiving coronavirus tests as they return to the campuses, with individual and group testing planned throughout the semester, spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said in an email.
Residential students will be quarantined for the first two weeks of classes, which begin Tuesday. All instruction will be online during that time, according to the plan.
“The implementation and execution of the
( plan) is the result of months of planning and preparation. We, as a university, have worked closely with the Connecticut Department of Public Health in the development of policies and procedures to best protect our students, faculty, and staff. Lessons learned over the past semester have guided us in developing our overall strategy,” officials said in the plan.
“UConn is ready and postured to deliver the educational standard of excellence that we are known for providing to our students by faculty and staff.”
The complete plan will be posted at reopen. uconn. edu, Reitz said.