One publicly-funded university in Georgia says it plans to resume normal operations in the fall semester.
“For Fall 2021, we are currently planning for a full return to campus, which means resuming ‘normal’ operations with in-person instruction, research, events, service, and activities, and full dining and housing operations,” Georgia Southern University President Dr. Kyle Marrero said in a message to students, faculty, and staff according to WTOC.
The school noted that it will continue paying close attention to health and safety guidelines dictated by the state and federal government.
“We will maintain our practice of regularly assessing business continuity measures to ensure we can continue to meet public health guidelines and our core mission of student success,” the letter said. “We also will continue to provide regular updates about our operations, vaccine availability and public health issues important to our communities.”
The school has been operating on a hybrid online and in-person model for almost a full year, and will continue to operate that way through the summer, according to the letter.
“All our safety protocols, as guided by the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH), will remain in place this summer,” the letter said. “At home and on campus, we must continue to Do Right by limiting face-to-face gatherings, remaining socially distant, wearing face-coverings, and washing our hands.”
Georgia Southern is one of the first universities to take the bold step of declaring that it prepares to resume operations as normal in 2021.
Across the country, schools have become battlegrounds over COVID-19.
Elementary and high school teacher’s unions are fighting tooth-and-nail to resist reopening for students this spring, despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control an Prevention (CDC) has deemed it safe to return.
Monday, teachers in Georgia became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Teachers are generally in the second or third groups of eligibility, depending on the state in which they live. Elderly people, medical personnel, first responders, and those with chronic illnesses are generally first in line.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Georgia Southern University” by Georgia Southern University.
