University of Arizona students will finish the fall semester with online courses only following the Thanksgiving break. The school completed more than 14,000 COVID-19 tests in a pre-holiday testing blitz.
The UA has completed more than 14,000 COVID-19 tests as part of its testing blitz of students headed home from campus for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The school will resume online-only courses afterward and through the end of the fall semester.
The testing blitz, which began Nov. 9, will end Wednesday and was designed to test as many students as possible before they left for Thanksgiving, school officials said Monday at their weekly campus briefing.
President Robert C. Robbins said students have persevered through a difficult semester, which saw a gradual increase in the number of in-person classes available, but also saw a period of rapidly rising positive cases on campus. He also praised faculty and staff for working hard to get the campus to the final weeks of the semester.
Last week, the university administered a total of 6,869 COVID-19 tests from Nov. 16, to Nov. 20, with 91 positives. Of those tests, 4,048 were for off-campus students, with 1,537 for on-campus students and 1,284 for employees.
The university has been allowing some classes of up to 50 students to meet in person, but after the Thanksgiving holiday, students are being encouraged to not return to campus and will finish the semester with only online courses.
Robbins said it’s likely the number of positive cases will rise after the holiday. He urged students traveling home for Thanksgiving to quarantine after arriving, wear a mask, stay socially distanced and continuously wash their hands.
The university plans to start the spring semester in stage two of its re-entry plan, which is currently in place, if public health conditions allow.
COVID-19 testing will be mandatory for all students who plan to live on campus and for those who plan to attend in-person classes in the spring. But Robbins said case numbers trending upward could force a change of plans.
“If things continue to go and we can’t get the curve going downward and flattened out, then I think probably we’re going to have to go back and start all over like we did with this term,” Robbins said.
“The number of cases is going up very quickly, but if you put the proper public health hygiene into place and people follow the rules, it can go down quickly, as well,” he added.
Photos: In Tucson, face masks are for more than just people
Face masks on objects
A Jeep sports with eyes like those from the movie "Cars" sports a COVID19 mask outside Alpha Graphics near the corner of Tanque Verde and Kolb, Tucson, Ariz., July 3, 2020.
Face masks on objects
The large Tiki head at the entrance of The Hut, 305 N. 4th Ave., wears a mask in response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Tucson, Ariz., on April 5, 2020.
Face masks on objects
The noted bull testicles on the statue outside Casa Molina at Speedway and Wilmot, usually painted in various schemes and wild colors, are in these CONVID19 times now sporting a face mask, March 27, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
A dinosaur statue over the doors of MATS Dojo at 5929 E. 22nd St., sports an athletic cup for a face mask in the second week of COVID-19 restrictions, March 31, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
The venerable T-Rex outside the McDonald's at Grant and Tanque Verde comes around late, but strong, to the mask game, May 13, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sported masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
Face masks on objects
Father Kino's horse practice safe social interaction by wearing a mask even if Father Kino himself isn't. The statue sits at Cherry Fields at 15th Street and Kino Boulevard, Saturday, May 2, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
