The Ohio State University starts fall classes Tuesday, following an extended move-in intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But the school has even more precautions in place to avoid shutting down again.
Everyone will be required to wear face masks on campus, both inside and outside, and even when social distancing can be observed.
Ohio State put together roughly 78,000 return-to-campus PPE kits, which include one disposable mask, two reusable masks, a thermometer, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Students will receive these kits upon moving to campus, and they can be picked up at designated locations by students who don’t live on campus.
There will be mandatory weekly testing of all students who live in residence halls or university-managed housing. This will be coupled with regular testing of random samples of asymptomatic undergraduate students who live off campus.
University president Kristina Johnson asked students in an email to limited their contact with others before returning to campus.
Open-air tents are being set up on campus for use by arts, dance and music classes, as well as certain courses with extended outdoor activities in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Last week, Notre Dame University sent students home after starting classes on-campus in response to a rising number of COVID-19 cases. Michigan State University elected to move all its undergraduate courses online before the semester began.
