Taking a step back: US colleges returning to online classes

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Harvard is moving classes online for the first three weeks of the new year, with a return to campus scheduled for late January, “conditions permitting.” The University of Chicago is delaying the beginning of its new term and holding the first two weeks online. Some others are inviting students back to campus but starting classes online, including Michigan State University Many colleges hope that an extra week or two will get them past the peak of the nationwide spike driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. “You lose so much of what makes the school the school.” The university is inviting students back to campus starting Monday, but classes will be held online until Jan. 18 as officials ramp up virus testing and isolate any infected students. Charlie Baker who said COVID-19 poses little risk to college students, while “prolonged isolation is a very real risk to their growth and mental health.” The University of Florida plans to return to in-person learning at the start of the semester, despite a request from a faculty union to teach remotely for the first three weeks.