HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison University announced Monday that the university is set to resume in-person instruction.
The university says it has increased their coronavirus measures in order to ensure the safety of all students and faculty to return to campus on October 5.
On September 1, JMU transitioned to online classes after the university reported having over 500 positive cases.
JMU says they are currently finalizing the reopening plan with more information to come before Friday, such as move-in dates.
Classes will now be limited to only 50 students, so those classes with 50 students will continue to operate in a hybrid model, where students are assigned days to meet in-person and days to meet online. There will be fewer seats and stricter mask enforcement in dining halls as well.
JMU also says they have tripled their isolation and quarantine beds and continue to add capacity ahead of students return.
JMU is launching a mandatory surveillance testing program that will test 300 non-symptomatic students per week who have not yet tested positive for COVID-19 to identify and get ahead of potential outbreaks of the virus. Testing will be initially focused on on-campus students.
The university has canceled fall break to reduce student travel. The two break days will be added to the end of the semester, and exams will start two days sooner than originally planned.
After Thanksgiving break, all courses and exams will move online for the remainder of the semester. Campus will remain open for students who choose to return to JMU, but it is not mandatory.
For more details on the university's reopening plan, click here.
