University of Wyoming to Allow In-Person Classes in April
Following its Spring Break, the University of Wyoming will once again offer in-person classes as Covid-19 rates are in decline and vaccinations are more readily available.
The original plan for UW students was for them to not return to their residence halls after Spring Break, which begins on March 31st. However, the university made the announcement on Friday that faculty members can continue to offer in-person classes or switch to the aforementioned option. The students may also live in the dorms through the end of the semester. Masks, social distancing, and testing for Covid-19 will continue to be required.
According to the Casper Star Tribune, University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said in a statement:
The very positive outcome of our ongoing measures to manage the spread of the virus, combined with the faster-than-expected rollout and acceptance of vaccines, has allowed us to make this change for those who’d like to remain on campus after spring break...We realize that many students, based on our original plan, have already made plans to go elsewhere and complete the semester online. They definitely will be able to do so. But, conditions have improved to the point that, for those who’d like to continue with a campus experience, we’re able to welcome them to stay...We are all looking forward to the day when we no longer have to socially distance, wear masks and be tested regularly...But those measures have helped us to get to this point, and continuing them through the spring semester will put us in the best position to return to a pre-pandemic environment in the fall.
When students return from Spring Break, it will be required that students virtually attend classes for a week while they undergo testing for Covid-19.
The action of going to in-person learning is a direct reflection of not only the decline in active Covid-19 cases in the state, but also the decrease in numbers that hospitals are currently treating with the virus.
All employees at UW are now eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, as are students that may have certain health conditions.