Due to the continued threat of the coronavirus around the country, the University of Utah has decided to cancel spring break this semester.
Communications manager from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rebecca Walsh, explained that the university was still hoping to mitigate the spread of the disease.
“Although the development of therapeutics to treat and vaccines to curb the virus offer hope for a return to more routine school functions in the future, the academic calendar for spring semester still will be compressed in an effort to reduce the chances for exposure,” she wrote.
Other universities have also sought to cancel their spring breaks. San Diego State University has opted to replace the nine-day break with four recovery days scattered throughout the semester while the University of California at Davis has decided to pay students that stay on campus and cancel their spring plans.
This year’s spring semester marks the first anniversary since the University of Utah’s decision to move to remote learning and limit campus operations due to the pandemic.
Changes in Travel Policy
The University of Utah has implemented a travel policy to help manage the risk of COVID-19, with restrictions remaining in place until May 7, according to the university website.
ABC4 reported that the travel restrictions apply to all business travel, according to a document that was sent to the news station. The cancellation of spring break was a decision by school officials to “make things consistent” with the travel policies required of employees and faculty.
On Monday, KSL reported that the state of Utah has identified 221 more COVID-19 cases, 1,671 vaccinations, and zero deaths. Out of these cases, 164 patients have been hospitalized with 59 in intensive care. It is estimated that there are now over 11,897 active cases of COVID-19 within the state.