Classes at the University of Michigan begin Monday, Aug. 31, and the university is outlining several safety precautions it is taking as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
President Mark Schlissel and other university leadership sent a letter to students last week to welcome them to campus and let them know of the safety precautions.
The main one is the daily check-in on the ResponsiBLUE app. Any person who will enter campus buildings will have to check themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and answer a brief set of questions on the app. Students and staff are also encouraged to use the tool daily.
"All of you can expect courses that reflect the academic excellence of the University of Michigan," Schlissel and other leadership wrote in the letter. "Our schools and colleges have designed courses that will be delivered in a way to meet the challenges of the pandemic – whether you will be learning in person with us or taking classes that are fully remote.
The university is also limiting outdoor gatherings to 25 people or less, as per Washtenaw County rules.
For students who test positive or have to be isolated or quarantined, the university said it has set aside 600 single rooms for those students if needed.
"Our preparations and precautions have been developed in collaboration with some of our university’s foremost public health and medical experts. We’ve also worked closely with U-M students on many of these measures, and it has been invigorating to see your classmates deeply invested in the planning for a successful semester," they wrote.
The university also warned of rising COVID-19 cases seen as kids go back to school, and encouraged people to have fun but also remain safe and vigilant.
"What may feel like a brief moment of letting your guard down could end up shutting down our in-person classes," they wrote.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
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