UCO shifts to level 2 operations

UCO announced on Tuesday that it is temporarily shifting to level 2 campus operations for two weeks amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. 

Beginning today until Jan. 23, masks are required for all persons, vaccinated or not, on campus when around others and indoors, including classrooms, labs, and meeting spaces. Faculty are encouraged to conduct meetings online and supervisors are expected to find ways to manage density in office settings.

Faculty now have options for choosing their method of delivering their classes. They could move their class fully remote with the approval of the department chairperson and dean, move the class into a hybrid format with face masks required during the face-to-face portion, remain fully in-person with mandatory masks, including a plan for their students unable to attend in-person, or offer an extended classroom option.

In a campus-wide email released on Tuesday, the university said, “We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Central community amid a new surge fueled by the omicron variant.

“Level 2 is defined as ‘Campus Open with Moderate Density,’ which includes managed density and a culture of mitigation for exposure.” 

The news comes as the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Tuesday over 5,000 new COVID-19 cases across the state, bringing the state’s current total active case count above 64,000.

UCO is encouraging students to keep an eye on their UCO email from their instructors about possible changes of delivery for their classes.

For more information and resources, visit UCO’s COVID-19 website: https://www.uco.edu/coronavirus/