Boise State announced that some classes after spring break will now offer in-person options in an email to students Monday morning, partially reversing the plan for total remote learning after spring break that was made last fall. The email was sent by Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Tony Roark, who attributed the decision to “low COVID case rates on campus.”
“Your specific class information will be shared by your individual faculty members during class by March 12,” Roark wrote in the email.
The announcement comes after the university moved spring break, which is typically held mid-March, back several weeks to April 12-16. All classes were originally planned to be administered remotely after the break to limit coronavirus transmission via students travelling home and back to campus.
After returning to in-person classes for the first time in 10 months, campus COVID-19 cases peaked at 73 new cases in the first week back on campus, according to the university’s COVID Tracking Dashboard operated by the Public Health Office. Since then, weekly new cases among both on and off-campus faculty, staff and students have remained in the 20s.
For the first time since August, the Public Health Office reported that zero isolation beds were occupied for the last week of February.
All students living on campus will be required to test for COVID-19 April 19-23, according to Roark’s email. Students living off campus will not be required to take a COVID-19 test.
“However, testing at our Boise State COVID Testing Center remains available and is encouraged for any campus community member who has concerns about symptoms or possible exposure,” Roark wrote.
All students can register for a free COVID-19 test at any time on the COVID Testing Center’s website.
