Schools
Stanford Moves Classes Online For Two Weeks, Requires Boosters
The uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant "poses a number of logistical challenges" for in-person instruction, the university said.
PALO ALTO, CA — Stanford will move classes online for the first two weeks of the winter quarter amid concerns about the transmissibility of the omicron variant and require booster shots for all eligible students by the end of January, the university announced Thursday.
Students will take classes online beginning Jan. 3 through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, with in-person instruction resuming Jan. 18.
“We are hoping to minimize academic disruptions and provide students and instructors with as much predictability as possible,” university officials said in a statement. “We believe it is prudent to make this adjustment now — and give instructors more time to plan for the first two weeks of online instruction — rather than making a shift during the university’s winter close or just after returning to campus.”
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The uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant “poses a number of logistical challenges” for in-person instruction.
Related: 'Deluge Of Omicron' Coming, Santa Clara Co. Health Officer Warns
Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Students were advised to get tested and receive a booster shot before traveling back to campus.
Santa Clara County had 10 confirmed cases of the omicron variant as of Thursday, though Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody predicted a "deluge of omicron" in the near future.
Click here to read Stanford’s statement on Thursday.
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