The University of Maryland's College Park campus will transition to mostly online courses after the school’s Thanksgiving break due to concerns about rising COVID-19 cases.
The school’s President, Darryll Pines, said Thursday in a letter to the university community that students who plan to travel from campus for the holiday should plan to remain away until the end of the semester. Students who choose to remain in residence halls for Thanksgiving may stay until the end of the semester.
“Like many of you, I wish for a return to normalcy for our university, including the full resumption of in-person classes and extracurricular activities. Yet this virus continues to demand vigilance, patience and perseverance,” Pines said. “I believe the actions outlined above are prudent, data-driven, and in the best interests of our university community.”
The school will also be providing campus-wide COVID-19 testing the week prior to Thanksgiving break.
On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan warned of a major surge in coronavirus cases and urged residents Thursday to wear masks to prevent the virus's spread.
“Maryland just entered the red zone for cases,” Hogan said. “Our average cases for 100,000 has risen to 15, which is a 22% increase in just the last week.”
