University Of Alabama Plans Fall Return To Traditional Classes

Tuscaloosa AL

01 March, 2021

12:51 PM

Description

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama System on Monday announced plans to return to traditional in-person instruction without restrictions on classroom capacity for the fall 2021 semester. Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app. The University of Alabama System's Health and Safety Task Force made the unified recommendation to the system chancellor and board of trustees in accordance with data, including modeling developed by UAB School of Public Health epidemiologist Suzanne Judd. As new coronavirus case numbers trend down at the local level, UA's Tuscaloosa campus reported a total of 30 cases identified among students, faculty and staff for the testing period of Feb. 19 - 25. "Our models give us confidence in the strong likelihood that we'll have a safe environment for traditional classrooms and on-campus activities by the fall," said Dr. Selwyn Vickers, dean of the UAB School of Medicine and chair of the Task Force. "Of course, we will continue to make every effort to abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Alabama Department of Public Health guidance and make data-driven decisions. If safety concerns arise, we can adjust our plan; the safety of the 110,000 students, faculty and staff of the UA System remains our top priority as it has since our Task Force began its work one year ago when COVID-19 began to emerge." Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.