Coronavirus Precautions In Place As U of A Begins Fall Semester

TUCSON — As University of Arizona students started school on Monday, they were greeted by new safety precautions across campus as universities cope with keeping students safe during the coronavirus pandemic. It joins Tempe's Arizona State University, which welcomed students back Thursday, in reopening.

Some ways U of A is combatting the virus include installing over a thousand sneeze guards across campus, as well as touch-free hand sanitizer and paper towel dispensers. The school has also provided staff with plenty of sanitizer and disinfectant, and erected tents throughout walkways to provide shaded and distanced rest areas. Face coverings will also be required.

"At the end of the day, we can build the perfect plan, but we have to have everyone follow the rules, have respect, mask up and Bear Down," President Robert C. Robbins said in a statement ahead of Monday.

The university is the latest college to reopen amid the pandemic. Some, like the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, have already had to shut down in-person classes due to an outbreak of the virus.

Many classes will begin virtually but approximately 5,000 students will be on campus for "essential" classes like research labs, the university said. For those living in dorms on campus, a negative COVID-19 test will be required prior to move-in. Students who test positive must be isolated for 14 days, either off-campus or in one of the dorms the university has designated for isolation purposes. So far, only nine students have tested positive.

Off-campus students in Tucson will be given access to testing at the university's Honor Village. 4,274 antigen tests have been administered thus far.

7,500 first-year students are enrolled for the fall semester, the university announced Monday. The university said it set a record for the number of applications for both first-year and transfer students amid the pandemic, receiving 43,000 and 8,o00 applications respectively.