UConn Returns to Online Classes for Start of Spring Semester as COVID Cases Rise

STORRS – During the first two weeks of the spring semester, students at the University of Connecticut will return to the classroom via their screens, according to Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, the university’s interim president.
The move came after the “sharp rise in student positivity rates for COVID-19 and the increasing prevalence in Connecticut and the country,” Agwunobi said.
The school has decided, as a security measure, that classes will take place online from January 18 to 29. In addition, the student-in-residence move-in date for the Storrs and Stamford campuses has been moved to the weekend of January 29, Agwunobi said.
These dates are subject to change depending on the progress of the pandemic, Agwunobi added.
Over the next few days, the university will also require eligible students to receive their booster shots. University officials are also discussing whether eligible faculty and staff should also be required to receive booster shots.
The university will be holding online public meetings for students, faculty and staff in January to answer questions about these changes.
On Monday January 3, university staff will contact students who are scheduled to live on campus with instructions on how to apply for housing approval from January 15 to 29. The university will approve international students as well as all students in a situation of proven housing insecurity. Students wishing to live on campus must respond by noon on January 6.
Unvaccinated and exempt students will not be able to return to university accommodation until Jan. 29, the university said.