MARQUETTE, Mich. — Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., announced Thursday they are set to reopen campus for face-to-face instruction August 17.
The University says it was one of the first in the country to decide to reopen the campus to students in the fall. The Board of Trustees passed a resolution to reopen on April 30, and the university says it's been preparing to safely bring students and staff back since then.
As part of the safe re-opening, everyone on campus will be given a nasal swab test before school starts, the university said in a press release. Other parts of the plan include strict requirements regarding masks and social distancing. Plexiglas shields will also be utilized throughout indoor spaces on campus.
“The Board of Trustees has committed more than $2.5 million just to COVID related activities. Additionally, we believe we have to be completely transparent in showing our students, their parents, faculty, staff, administrators, and the general public how much preparation has taken place to assure a safe re-opening. President Erickson’s task forces showed the Board and all those watching online exactly what preparations have taken place and how prepared NMU is to re-open, ” Steve Mitchell, NMU Board Chair said.
The announcement comes at a time when many universities and colleges are grappling with how to safely reopen, as COVID-19 cases continue to mount in the state. As of Thursday, the state had 85,429 total cases, with at least 60,022 people having recovered. Northern regions of the state were reopened earlier than most other areas due to smaller case counts there, however, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposed new restrictions last week.
You can learn more about NMU's reopening plan on their website.
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