Yale University will reopen in the fall without sophomores living on campus and then will be open in the spring without freshmen living on campus in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
CNN reports that Yale President Peter Salovey and Provost Scott Strobel disclosed the plan Wednesday in a letter to the community.
Juniors and seniors can choose to live in housing on the New Haven, Conn., campus for both semesters.
The limits imposed on freshmen and sophomores will enable the university to lower the number of students living in the campus colleges to about 60% of normal, the letter says.
In addition, most undergraduate courses will be taught remotely so all students, whether living on or off campus, can attend. A small number of classes, such as labs or studio work, will take place in person in socially distanced settings.
Undergraduate students living on or off campus will be required to be tested weekly. As Connecticut rules have mandated, all students arriving from abroad or from states with high Covid-19 transmission rates will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
All students will be asked to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
Connecticut had been one of the worst-hit states in the coronavirus pandemic, but its case totals have declined in the past several months.
"These decisions are possible because of the continued decline in community transmission of Covid-19 in Connecticut, the creation of a university-wide Covid-19 screening program, and the implementation of other health and safety actions," the letter from Salovey and Strobel states.
Yale's reopening plan was announced as schools and colleges across the nation are trying to determine how to reopen safely while still mitigating the spread of a virus that thrives in places with close contact.
