COVID moves Transylvania virtual for first week, NKU delays start of semester
Transylvania University moved its first week of classes to virtual learning to allow more time for students and employees to get tested for COVID-19, the university announced earlier this week.
Transylvania University required all students and employees to be tested for COVID-19 before the start of the spring semester. The number of positive test results, the delay in some people getting results and the number of people who had to isolate contributed to the decision to move to virtual learning, the university said.
Lexington-Fayette County reported a record high for the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day earlier this week, with 894 new cases reported Tuesday.
The spring semester at Transylvania began on Monday, with the first two days held virtually so students and employees could get tested for COVID-19. On Tuesday, the university announced that classes for the rest of the week would be held virtually. Students will return to in-person classes on January 18.
“This temporary mitigation measure is in response to a delay in receiving return-to-campus results due in part to the number of weather-related testing appointments canceled late last week and laboratory backlogs in processing tests,” the university said. “As well, a number of students and employees have returned positive COVID test results, despite many being asymptomatic, and are required to isolate themselves.”
Northern Kentucky University delayed the start of the spring semester by one week, citing high numbers of COVID-19 infections in the region. Classes will now begin on January 18.
NKU President Ashish Vaidya recommended that faculty “include fewer in-person activities in their classes” for the first two weeks of the semester.
“We are asking for short-term adjustments perhaps replacing some in-person activities with hybrid options in order to temporarily de-densify campus,” Vaidya said.
The University of Kentucky returned with in-person classes on Monday. Students and employees who are not vaccinated are required to be tested for COVID-19 weekly.
According to UK’s COVID dashboard, 90.9% of the campus community is fully or partially vaccinated, and there are 446 active COVID-19 cases among students and employees as of Jan. 10.
The University of Louisville also returned with in-person classes this week. Western Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University and Morehead State University are all scheduled to return with in-person classes on January 18.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 9:55 AM.