CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University will move to remote learning when classes resume in January, school officials said in a letter to the campus community Saturday.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts college said the decision was prompted by the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and the growing presence of the omicron variant. Officials said they’ve already confirmed that the highly transmissible variant is present in the campus community.
Only students who are authorized should return to campus for the first three weeks of the new year, officials said. Faculty, staff and researchers should also work remotely if possible.
Some library facilities will be available during the remote period and essential in-person laboratory and patient-centered clinical work will continue, the school said.
“We are planning a return to more robust on-campus activities later in January, public health conditions permitting,” Harvard said in a statement on its website. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on these plans as soon as we are able.”
