COLUMBUS – Officials at Ohio State are beginning to relax health and safety precautions put in place at the beginning of the year to combat the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the emergence of the omicron variant across the nation.
OSU officials say, beginning Tuesday, seating capacities at on-campus dining facilities would return to the levels set during autumn semester and concessions at athletics events would resume for Thursday’s men’s basketball game against Iowa in the Schottenstein Center with the full menu available for events later in February, according to a statement from Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers and Athletics Director Gene Smith posted on the university’s website.
“As you know, for the start of spring semester, we had to put some extra safeguards in place in response to the omicron variant. The good news is that those temporary measures have already proven to be helpful, as we have seen a consistent decrease in positivity rates among our student and employee populations. Our vaccination rate remains strong at higher than 93%, and we continue to see great interest and action among students who are eligible for a booster vaccine.” -Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers and Athletics Director Gene Smith
The university has experienced a consistent decrease in positivity rates among students and employees and boasts a 93% vaccination rate, prompting officials to loosen the restrictions, at least for now.
“As always, we will continue to monitor the path of the virus, its effects and expected impacts, and federal, state and local guidance,” Shivers and Smith wrote.
The university has conducted in-person classes since the beginning of the spring semester in January and now has announced that organizations can resume in-person activities as long as they incorporate safety measures: limiting the distribution of literature, following city and university mask mandates, practicing appropriate physical distancing, and making masks and hand sanitizer readily available.
Seating capacity will be restored in public and common spaces in the Ohio Union, campus recreation centers and the Younkin Success Center.
Recreational facilities that will be reopened include indoor basketball and soccer courts. Group fitness classes can return to full capacity, and club and intramural sports will be allowed to resume.
The Ohio Hospital Association Monday reported the smallest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients since early December. The 4,160 new cases reported by the Ohio Department of Health is 76% below the 21-day average.