Cornell, Princeton Switching To Remote Final Exams Amid Possible Omicron Outbreaks

Two Ivy League Universities are switching their final exams to a remote format amid concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Cornell and Princeton University both announced Tuesday that they would shift to remote finals after both schools experienced a significant increase in reported cases of COVID-19.

In a letter to students Tuesday, Cornell President Martha E. Pollack said that the University was making the move in an abundance of caution:

Since our Saturday message, our surveillance testing has continued to identify the rapid spread of COVID-19 among our student population. While faculty and staff case numbers currently remain low, just last evening our COVID-19 testing lab team identified evidence of the highly contagious Omicron variant in a significant number of Monday’s positive student samples. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, the university is moving to Alert Level Red and announcing a number of immediate measures …

Pollack did admit that Omicron causes less severe cases of COVID, but stressed that the University was not taking any chances with an outbreak:

While there is still much that is not known about the Omicron variant, it appears to be significantly more transmissible than Delta and other variants. There is some evidence (though far from certain) that it generally causes milder cases, particularly among vaccinated individuals. However, when you have high transmissibility, you’re going to have very high numbers of cases, and so even with lower rates of serious illness, outbreaks must be taken seriously.

The university also canceled a number of social events, including the graduation ceremony for December graduates and other social events and activities for undergraduates, and closed libraries and gyms on campus. It also canceled several sports competitions scheduled for Sunday. Labs and offices remained open, but students “should not participate in any work-study or lab work,” the notice said.

Students who had tested negative for COVID were permitted to leave, while remaining students were instructed to restrict non-essential contact. Students who tested positive were encouraged to get another test, and isolate themselves for 10 days. Visitors and guests were also barred from the campus, except families picking up students for semester break.

Princeton Dean Jill Dolan and Vice President W. Rochelle Calhoun expressed concern in their letter that COVID self-quarantines would hinder students’ ability to return home for the semester:

The State of New Jersey requires anyone testing positive for COVID to isolate for 10 days, whether or not they’re symptomatic. Given that we’ve seen an uptick in cases among undergraduates during the last 24 hours—including suspected cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant—we hope to avoid letting the final exam schedule interfere with students’ travel home for Winter Break. We certainly don’t want you remaining on campus in required isolation through the holidays.

Dolan and Calhoun encouraged students to leave campus as soon as possible. The University also closed down indoor social events with food, and those where masks could not be worn. Dolan and Calhoun also wrote that Princeton would be instituting a vaccine booster mandate for students, faculty, and staff.

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