Ohio State drops spring break in coronavirus fight

Ohio State University has announced it will be nixing spring break from its academic calendar in 2021 over concerns about exposure to COVID-19. 

In a recent letter to students, faculty and staff, the school’s executive vice president and provost, Bruce McPheron, said “there will be no spring break” for the coming year. Instead, “two instructional breaks” without classes will be scheduled on Feb. 9 and March 31.

{mosads}The approach, McPheron said, is part of an effort to keep its “community together throughout the semester and reduce travel-related exposures.”

“While there were many adjustments to our plans over the summer, we hope that our experience this semester will allow for a smoother and more predictable plan heading into spring semester,” he went on in the letter, which was posted in full by a local ABC affiliate. 

McPheron said the school will “continue to explore ways to expand and enhance opportunities for in-person experiences this spring.” He added that decisions would “depend both on the evolution of COVID-19 science” and the school’s commitment to its current safety measures.

“As a default, all students, faculty and staff should expect the same sort of comprehensive approach that is in place this fall — including testing, contact tracing and personal behaviors such as face masks, physical distancing and hand-washing,” McPheron said.

The university was among the scores of schools to suspend face-to-face instruction in March after concerns started to rise globally over the threat of COVID-19.

Just a few weeks ago, the school reopened with a combination of in-person and online classes for the 2020-2021 school year.

According to CNN, the university has counted more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases among its students since classes resumed.