Pitt plans phased reopening with ‘shelter in place’

First-year students arriving on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland and returning upperclassmen will be required to shelter in place for 14 days before attending in-person classes, according to a new COVID-19 reopening plan from the university.

As an added safety measure, the university said it will be testing up to 400 students a day to help monitor the “prevalence of the virus” before any on-site classes take place.

Students will arrive on the main campus Aug. 11 — about 1,500 at a time — as part of a “phased arrival approach” developed by the university’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office in consultation with its Healthcare Advisory Group, according to university officials.

But before they arrive, students living in Pitt dormitories are being told to shelter in place for seven days — and then for another seven days once they’re on campus.

For example, a student whose move-in date is Aug. 13 would need to shelter in place at their permanent residence starting Aug. 6 and would shelter in place on campus until Aug. 20, the university said.

“Some students will be able to attend an in-person class earlier than others,” and “we anticipate some students having to start classes remotely in their permanent residence before coming to campus,” the university said.

“We’re asking all students — and every member of the Pitt community — to do their part in making these plans successful. We worked with student leaders on a Campus Community Compact and are working with faculty, staff

and student government to adopt this for all five campuses,” said Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick on Tuesday.

“By signing the compact, University members will pledge to abide by all health and safety guidance.”

About 29,000 students attend classes at Pitt’s Oakland campus, and roughly 6,000 of them live in residence halls, according to university data.

Pitt said Tuesday an “estimated 25%” of freshmen will live in rooms at three nearby hotels as a way to reduce density in the dorms and best guard against infection.

The three hotels — the Residence Inn Pittsburgh University Medical Center at 3896 Bigelow Blvd., the Residence Inn Pittsburgh University Place at 3341 Forbes Ave., and Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center at 100 Lytton Ave. — are within a 15-minute walk to campus.

Pitt said residence staff will plan safe social activities for students sheltering for their second seven-day period. Students living off campus are required to shelter in place for 14 days, either at home or at their off-campus residence, before coming onto campus.

“Students are encouraged to coordinate these plans with their room or housemates to align as closely as possible,” the university said.

Pitt officials said they consider the move-in changes “a worthwhile trade-off and estimate that — barring any strategic pauses — all Pittsburgh campus students should be moved into university housing by Aug. 31.”

Pitt plans to give face coverings to students, faculty and staff once they return to campus. It has installed hand sanitizing stations around campus in an effort to keep transmission at bay.

The university also said it will have testing available in coordination with its UPMC partnership if any student develops COVID-19 symptoms. Results will be available within 24 hours.

And in the event students test positive, the university said it has prepared “isolation facilities” at each of its campuses so those infected will be separated from others for up to 14 days.

Pitt officials said the reopening plan may be revised while noting more information about “close” contact tracing, isolation, quarantining and campus travel guidelines will be released over the next few weeks.