Spring break will mean an increase in coronavirus tests for Oregon State University students.
With COVID-19 cases on a downward trend in Oregon, spring break is a tempting time for college students to let loose after a year of virus-restrictions. But the CDC is warning that spring break has the potential to bring about another COVID-19 wave since most young adults have not been vaccinated yet.
Oregon State's spring break is March 22 - 26. The university is urging its students to stay close to home and continue to follow safety measures such as physical distancing and face coverings. The university is offering free coronavirus testing to all of its students before they leave on spring break, and will require it for resident hall students when they return.
“Even while the number of positive cases of COVID-19 has recently declined in Oregon, and vaccine distribution is progressing well, the virus still presents a great public health risk,” said Dan Larson, OSU’s coronavirus response coordinator and vice provost for student affairs. “We are asking OSU employees and students to take extra care over spring break due to virus spread in other areas of the U.S., relaxed public health measures in some states, and the presence of viral variants.”
Most OSU classes continue to be held virtually, but many students are living in the dorms or in the Corvallis area.
