Spike in COVID-19 causing USU to pause re-opening
After announcing at the end of May that it was ready to welcome students to campus for the fall of 2020, Utah State University has delayed opening several of its facilities following an outbreak of COVID-19 in Cache Valley.
“The large spike in cases in the Bear River Health District has caused USU to pause in returning to campus in both Logan and Brigham City,” USU public information officer Emilie Wheeler said. “As a major employer and an integral part of communities throughout the state, we strive to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on all of our campuses.”
Several large facilities, including recreational facilities and the University Inn, have continued to push back their opening dates. The university had hoped to resume some activities at the beginning of June.
In addition, the increase in COVID-19 cases could affect current plans to open the university in the fall. According to Wheeler, students will be receiving details on how their classes are going to be delivered “very soon.”
“As we have learned, there’s always a chance of pretty much anything happening.” Wheeler said.
On May 27, USU sent out a press release with plans to prepare for resuming in-person classes in the fall.
“Our students have responded to this situation with grace and resilience, and we are excited to again see them come to our campuses,” President Noelle Cockett said in the press release. “We will be releasing more details about fall semester over the next several weeks, and students and their parents should monitor university communications for that information, knowing that USU will be ready.”
According to the press release, students will be getting a “diverse learning experience,” with some classes being offered as a hybrid or blended learning. What this means, according to Wheeler, is if a student has a class that meets three times a week, it’s possible only one of those times will be in-person.
New safety protocols will be put in place. Although nothing is finalized, Wheeler said, situations like asking students to wear face masks or take their temperature before coming to class are certainly on the table.
“We are a research institution, so we are going to follow the research,” she said. “Whatever the guidelines tell us to implement, we will be implementing.”
The same day USU released its statement, the Bear River Health Department reported its largest single-day increase of COVID-19 in Cache Valley up to that point. The 10 new cases represented 12 percent of all new patients for the state of Utah. Since then, the Bear River district has seen a steady increase in cases, including an outbreak involving over 200 people at the JBS Meat Plant in Hyrum.
Holly Budge, a spokesperson for BRHD, said there could be several reasons for the spike in cases.
“People not wearing masks or maintaining social distance could play a part,” she said. “However, it is important to remember we are testing more people than before.”
Asked if it were possible that Cache Valley could return to a “red phase” because of the new cases, Budge said it was “up to state officials.”
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