Cornell University announced Thursday it will begin the spring semester virtually, with the start of in-person classes delayed until February 2nd.
The school says delaying in-person classes will allow students to stagger their arrivals back on campus and will allow more time for testing. Cornell was the site of one of the first outbreaks of the Omicron variant in December. Cornell President Martha Pollack wrote in a statement “As we prepare for the start of the spring semester, we have been focusing on two important goals: protecting the health of our campus and the surrounding community and ensuring that our students have the best possible residential educational experience.”
Pollack said the school is shifting its focus from counting cases to minimizing the most serious health risks. The Tompkins County Health Department also says it’s paying closer attention to hospitalizations, rather than raw case numbers.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].