PA departments of health and education encourage universities to delay bringing students back
Models are projecting COVID-19 related hospitalizations to peak in January and February.
The departments of Health and Education are urging colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education to use virtual instruction to the best of their ability.
They also urge universities to delay students returning for the traditional start date for the spring semester.
"We are seeing an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and these trends are expected to worsen in January at the time when students normally return to campus," said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega.
"Colleges and universities play a critical role in mitigating? the spread of COVID-19 and creating safe learning environments for students. By delaying students' return to campus, our institutions of higher learning can allow slow the spread of the virus, help businesses to remain open, and protect regional health care systems," Ortega added.
The release from the Pennsylvania Department of Education states that the number of cases among 19 to 24-year-olds in north-central Pennsylvania spiked from 7 percent in April, (when students were not on campus), to 69 percent in September, and in the northeast from 6 percent in April to 40 percent in September.
