Some Colleges Are Already Planning for the Next Wave of COVID-19 – Diverse
Even as many colleges are struggling to figure out what the beginning of the new academic year will look like, a few have made public schedules for the next semester that already account for another wave of COVID-19 infections in the fall, which epidemiologists have said is more or less inevitable.
The colleges that have made plans anticipating the next wave of infection have scheduled one or a combination of measures that include opening earlier than usual — or in one case, later than usual — for the fall; foregoing or shortening the fall break; ending in-person classes at Thanksgiving and moving to remote instruction after; and even altering the spring 2021 semester.
The intention is to reduce mass travel during the brief fall break and then a return to campus after, which could lead to a spike in infections. Institutions want to eliminate in-person interactions after the Thanksgiving break for the same reason.
Several public health experts have said a whole new set of COVID-19 infections can be expected in the fall and winter. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the Financial Times this week that he is concerned about a second wave in the northern hemisphere, which he sees at the end of 2020.