Howard University to delay start of spring semester due to rise in COVID-19 cases

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Howard University has announced the spring semester will be delayed until Jan. 18 for all undergraduate and graduate students due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.

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The university is also requiring that everyone returning to campus from winter break for the spring semester provide proof of a negative PCR test within four days prior to arrival.

Students in residential housing will return to campus beginning Jan. 14.

Howard previously announced that all faculty, staff and students will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster by Jan. 31, if you are already eligible for a booster, or within 30 days after becoming eligible.

"Our highest priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff," Howard officials said in a letter Monday night. "These steps will help us maintain as safe an environment as possible in order to provide the best educational experience to our students. As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we are leveraging our collective knowledge and experience to adapt our community to the many changes in the virus and the pandemic."

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To read the letter in full, click here.