University of Illinois to start spring semester remotely amid surge in COVID cases

CHICAGO - The University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University will be joining a number of other colleges that will have students return to remote learning when they come back from holiday break.

Students will have remote class for the first two weeks of the spring semester in response to surging cases of COVID-19.

University of Illinois officials said the decision gives the students time to get a negative test before coming back to campus and a second negative test before returning to class in person.

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"No one has a crystal ball and we're driven by the data and by the science and this gives us some indication that it is better to make sure that the students, once they return before they start class, that they have delivered two negative test results, whether they're vaccinated or not," said Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois.

The chancellor said he hopes this will give time for the omicron variant and surge to run its course and allow students to return when it's even safer.