NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Officials at Old Dominion University say students will begin to return to campus starting Monday, Feb. 1.
Only certain classes will be held in-person starting Feb. 1 because they require in-person hours for “pedagogical reasons,” the university said Monday.
All other classes will be held remotely until at least Feb. 15.
A list of the courses that will start in-person Feb. 1 will be posted by the end of the day Tuesday, Jan. 26 on the ODU Blueprint Website. Students in those particular classes will also get a notification confirming the on-campus class start as well as required COVID-19 testing information.
“Our current plan is to resume the remaining courses that are scheduled to be held face-to-face, on Feb. 15. Students scheduled to take face-to-face classes will receive an email from the Student Health Center with further information related to COVID-19 testing requirements,” the university said Monday.
ODU students have been learning remotely as part of a plan made before winter break. In that plan, students were set to learn remotely for at least the first two weeks of the semester, from Jan. 19 until Feb. 1.
The university continues to monitor local COVID-19 data and base its decisions off that. The rates in the Hampton Roads cities — except Portsmouth and Hampton — have either remained the same or decreased compared with last week, the school said.
ODU also said it is “actively supporting” the state and Norfolk health departments in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
“To date, ODU has not been designated as a vaccination “point of distribution” (P.O.D.), so if you are in phases 1a and 1b, we recommend contacting your primary care provider or local health department regarding obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine,” the school said.
The timeline for vaccine Phase 1c — the group that most school faculty, staff and student employees would be a part of — is still unclear.
