SUNY-ESF delays start of in-person spring 2021 semester to February

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SUNY schools will delay the start of in-person spring semester classes to Feb. 1, require COVID-19 testing for all students and eliminate spring break, plans released by administrators show. 

The plan will affect SUNY’s 30 community colleges and 29 state-operated campuses, including Upstate Medical University and SUNY-ESF. 

The start of in-person classes at SUNY schools will be delayed until Feb. 1 to minimize risks associated with the winter flu season, the plans show. Any campuses planning to start the semester before February must conduct classes remotely until then. The university system will make some exceptions for research and clinical courses that require in-person attendance. 

SUNY will also require that all students receive testing for COVID-19 upon their return to campus. 

Any students who will take classes or use services on campus will have to complete a seven-day quarantine before returning to campus and present evidence of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of their arrival. 

Students also have the option to participate in on-campus testing or provide evidence of a positive diagnostic test from the prior three months, the plan shows. 

The new approach differs from SUNY’s fall health guidelines, which did not make testing mandatory. 

SUNY Oneonta announced on Sept. 3 that the college would send all students home for the remainder of the semester after the number of positive cases on campus rose to almost 400. Other SUNY schools also temporarily suspended in-person classes due to spikes in case numbers. 

SUNY schools will also eliminate spring break but will build midweek “reading days” into their schedules to allow for short pauses, the plan shows.