Recognizing that Thanksgiving poses an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission due to holiday travel, the University of Arizona (UA) posted an official announcement on its website saying it will test students before the holiday and switch to remote learning after.
UA has advised students to minimize travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, requiring those who will leave campus during this time to outline their travel plans. They are also “strongly encouraged” students to get a rapid antigen test 10 days prior to departure from campus while the university will administer free tests on campus between November 9 and 15.
Remote Learning End of Semester
After the Thanksgiving break, the last eight days of instruction, final exams, and assessments will be completed remotely. Thus, students should return to campus at the start of the spring semester.
UA President Robert C. Robbins said that the current plan is to start the spring semester “where it left off” with in-person classes. He also mentioned that they plan to hold mandatory testing for everyone returning for the spring semester, even students who do not live on campus.
However, UA could still revert to online-only classes in the spring, according to Dr. Richard Carmona, director of the re-entry task force. If cases continue to increase locally and nationally, the university is prepared to continue with distance learning.
