Pitt delays students' return to campus for spring semester

The University of Pittsburgh has asked students to delay traveling back to campus for the spring term.

Citing a possible surge in covid-19 infections following the holidays, administrators asked students to remain at home for the time being in a message from the Covid-19 Medical Response Office on Friday evening.

“To aid in planning, Pitt will provide notice at least two weeks before we advise that you travel to our campuses,” the message reads. “Accordingly, the very earliest we will advise that you travel is sometime in the final week of January, and all Pitt students – whether or not you live in University housing – should not travel to the area prior to this time.”

When residence halls do reopen for students, the message reads, students will move in with a “phased, cohort-based” arrival plan similar to what was used in the fall. Last semester, under the phased plan, students were required to follow shelter-in-place guidelines before and after arriving on campus, and arrival dates were staggered to prevent crowding in the dormitories.

Spring semester classes will begin Jan. 19 under the “Flex@Pitt” model introduced in the fall, which allows remote, hybrid and in-person instruction “when appropriate.”

Thirteen students tested positive for the virus last week, along with 13 new faculty or staff cases. Since August, 720 students and 135 employees have had covid-19.

Students did not return to in-person classes after Thanksgiving break, instead completing the fall semester under completely remote learning. The five-day moving average for students contracting the virus has dropped significantly since going fully remote, according to Pitt’s online covid-19 data dashboard.