Coronavirus: UD to start some in-person courses amid decline in COVID-19 cases

DAYTON — The University of Dayton will begin some in-person classes next week as school leaders lowered their separate campus alert level to “Level 3” Friday.

>>RELATED: Majority of UD students diagnosed with COVID-19 report mild symptoms, school spokesperson says

“We write to you today with some good news: the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases is trending down on campus,” UD President Dr. Eric Spina said in a message to students last Friday.

Starting Wednesday, some courses will begin in-person learning, with the hope to allow more courses to begin in-person instruction Sept. 21. Remote learning will continue for undergraduates Monday and Tuesday.

>>RELATED: Half of University of Dayton active COVID-19 cases from last week now listed as recovered

Students will be notified by their instructor if their course is one that will move to in-person learning, UD officials said.

“This does remain a critical time for us at UD. Our students and entire Flyer community cannot let up on our efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus,” Spina told News Center 7′s Katy Andersen.

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“It is ESSENTIAL that everyone understands there is no guarantee of continued in-person instruction without continued strict adherence to the safety protocols that led to lower infection rates. The UD community has done very well the past couple weeks, and we cannot ease up at all on our efforts to stop the coronavirus' spread this semester,” Spina said.

UD started the first week of the semester in August with remote learning and extended remote course delivery through at least Sept. 14 due to a rise in cases during the first week.

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The campus alert status, which is separate from the State of Ohio’s county-by-county system, was dropped from “Level 4 - Red” to “Level 3 - Yellow.” The “Level 3” status means “the ability to contact trace with high confidence makes it difficult to identify a specific area for containment, isolation, and remediation,” according to the UD coronavirus tracking website.

Some other measures that will remain in place for students includes all dining options on campus will be grab-and-go with no indoor seating and commuter students will be allowed to return to campus for in-person classes.

The university stressed that students encourage their parents to cancel hotel reservations and not come to campus for the upcoming Family Weekend, in an effort to continue the decline in cases and help prevent new clusters.

Last week, UD representatives said most students have reported mild symptoms with only a few students requiring brief hospitalizations.

Cox Media Group