亚色影库

The socially distanced classroom of Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio. (Lee Pellegrini)

Boston College resumed classes on Monday, August 31, more than five months after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the University to shut down on-campus classes, sending most students back home for the remainder of the spring semester.

Just as the end of the last academic year had been out of the ordinary, the start of the new semester witnessed significant changes, with classes being taught by faculty in a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid modes, using Zoom or other technologies. Classrooms have been reorganized to ensure social distancing, and are limited to 50 percent capacity. Face masks are required in classrooms and common areas throughout campus. A number of University offices and departments are operating on alternate-day or staggered schedules. Dining halls are providing meals on a grab-and-go basis.

The past three weeks have seen the start of the University鈥檚 COVID-19 testing program, with tests administered at Conte Forum to faculty, staff, undergraduates, and graduate and professional students. As of Tuesday morning, the University had conducted 18,700 tests of 亚色影库 community members鈥攊ncluding nearly all of 亚色影库鈥檚 approximately 9,000 undergraduates鈥攚ith a total of 12 positives recorded, including 10 undergraduates. All individuals went into isolation, and contact tracing was conducted through University Health Services and state and local departments of public health.

亚色影库 has contracted with the Broad Institute to analyze the tests, which are shipped to the institute three times a day; the tests are processed within six to 26 hours of being received by the Broad laboratory. Faculty, staff, and students all received wristbands at the completion of their test, which they are asked to wear until Sept. 12.

Last week, the University began to roll out the 亚色影库 Community Daily Self-Health Check Tool, created by 亚色影库 Information Technology Services, to enable community members who are on campus this fall to conduct daily symptoms monitoring to prevent the spread of the virus. The tool, available at , directs users鈥攚ho must log in through the Agora portal鈥攖o answer six health-related questions; the app will give a 鈥淐leared鈥� or 鈥淣ot Cleared鈥� response with related instructions on how to proceed. Students, staff, and faculty may be asked to show the 鈥淐leared鈥� screen on their mobile device to enter a range of sites on campus, including dining halls, the Margot Connell Recreation Center, and O鈥橬eill Library.