The University of California, Berkeley will start the fall semester with all-virtual instruction, the university announced Tuesday in an email to faculty, the latest sign of the COVID-19 pandemic's major effect on schools at all levels.
The announcement reverses a prior decision that would have allowed for some in-person classes as cases rise in Alameda County and across the San Francisco Bay Area.
"The increase in cases in the local community is of particular concern," administrators wrote in the email. A spokesperson later clarified that "local community" referred to the Bay Area.
The university has reported 72 new COVID cases linked to a series of fraternity parties early this month.
Under the new plan, all classes will be taught virtually to begin the semester. The university announcement also leaves the door open for approved classes to move to in-person instruction later in the term, although all classes will still have the option to be taken remotely.
In allowing for in-person classes, Berkeley will first prioritize previously approved Tier 1 courses _ for example, labs or studios that benefit from hands-on instruction _ and then Tier 2 courses, which, "if offered in-person, would substantially contribute to cohort-building for entering students, to academic engagement for students who are underrepresented on campus, and/or part of a capstone experience."
