Preparing for winter break

I want to express again my thanks and pride in our community as we collectively battle COVID-19. Your efforts to keep our campuses open this fall while learning, teaching, advancing research and scholarship, and caring for patients and their families have been extraordinary.

As students prepare to return home for the winter break, please remember the steps we are asking you to take. Get tested for COVID-19 early this week. If you obtain a negative result and are able to leave campus for the semester early, please do so and update your move-out time on the housing portal. If you need to stay on or off campus, plan to get tested again next week and self-quarantine until you get your results. For instructions on each, please refer to the message I sent on Sunday: https://go.osu.edu/campusdeparture.

We will continue our class-delivery approach as scheduled through November 25. We also will offer the first two weeks of spring semester classes (January 11-15 and 18-22) virtually. Our work is ongoing with state and local health officials to evaluate and adjust our plans as needed. We will keep the university community updated.

This Saturday, our football Buckeyes are scheduled to return to action against Indiana at noon. Once again, we strongly urge all students to “homegate.” If you live on campus, cheer from your residence halls. If you live off campus, avoid gatherings and follow all COVID-19 protocols.

Wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart and practice good hygiene. Most of all, it is critically important to avoid large gatherings. Again, we want to finish the semester strong and keep our loved ones and ourselves healthy.

Please see this important message from Dr. Amy Fairchild, dean of our College of Public Health and head of our Comprehensive Monitoring Team: https://go.osu.edu/protectingyourlovedones.

Be smart so we can all be safe, Together As Buckeyes.