Stanford University to start with online instruction for first 2 weeks in January
(Original Caption) Stanford, California: Stanford University Campus. (Photo by David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images)
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford University has announced that it will start its winter quarter holding classes online for the first two weeks of January out of concern for the increase in COVID-19 cases recently.
The quarter begins Jan. 3, but in-person instruction will not resume until Jan. 18, after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, according to Stanford.
University officials cited the rise of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and its increased transmissibility as a reason for the move to online instruction for a brief period, although students will be welcome to return to campus for the start of the quarter since other university operations will continue.
All students will also be required to provide documentation of a booster shot, unless they have a medical or religious exemption, by Jan. 31, according to Stanford.
"We anticipate this two-week period of online instruction will allow students to settle in, get booster doses and navigate any health issues without the concern of missing the beginning of classes," the school said in its announcement.
More details about Stanford's plans to start 2022 can be found here.