With only a few weeks left in the semester, the State University of New York announced guidelines for the spring semester, including a later in-person start-date than originally anticipated, on Sunday, Nov. 15.

The guidance will be followed by all 64 campuses within the SUNY system and will allow “campuses to safely return to in-person instruction for the spring semester.” The plan is based on current federal and state guidelines.

Some things are returning for the spring semester, such as the surveillance testing, mandatory mask-wearing at all times and social distancing while on-campus.

It is unknown what additional protocols SUNY Oswego is taking for the spring semester, if any, with the aggressive COVID-19 policies and testing strategies.

“With COVID-19 surging nationwide, and with increased cases in New York, SUNY has devised a comprehensive plan to keep this virus at bay throughout the flu season and through the spring semester,” SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said. “We’ve demonstrated this past fall that by implementing an aggressive strategy to manage COVID, students can safely return to campus.”

One of the protocols remaining for the spring semester is SUNY’s strong surveillance testing policy that began in September. As of Nov. 19, 498,629 tests have been conducted by SUNY — more than the entire states of Vermont, Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota.

However, compared to last semester, every student who plans to live, work, take classes or utilize different services on-campus, such as the gym or library, must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival. Last semester, it was up to the school to decide on “baseline” testing for the semester.

Students must also quarantine for seven days before returning to campus. When arriving to campus, students must produce a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within three days of returning, or students must take a campus-administered test within five days of arrival to campus.

“Students who present documentation of a positive diagnostic test within the prior three months are exempt from the return test,” according to the press release.

Another policy that remains is the COVID-19 case tracker from SUNY with data from all 64 campuses of the system. The 100-case or 5% threshold that was instituted during the fall will also stay. Currently, only five schools have had to go completely remote — SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oneonta, University at Albany and Binghamton University.

SUNY Oswego and Binghamton University returned to in-person classes this semester after going on the mandatory two-week pause, but on Wednesday, Binghamton was sent online again. SUNY Oneonta sent all students home for the semester after a large outbreak, and SUNY Cortland announced on Nov. 1 that it would finish the semester remotely after an extended outbreak of COVID-19, despite being on pause for nearly a month. The University at Buffalo hit the 100-case threshold on Wednesday, but after consultation with the local and state health department, the school announced it would continue in-person instruction to allow for exit testing before Thanksgiving break.

SUNY has implemented a new start date of in-person instruction of Feb. 1. Most winter session classes and the beginning of the spring semester will be remote until that date.

SUNY Oswego is slated to start its spring semester on Jan. 25, with new students arriving to campus on Jan. 21 and returning students on Jan. 24. The first week of most classes will be remote for SUNY Oswego.

“Exceptions will be granted for clinical practicums, specialized research and applied learning experiences that require students to be physically present,” the press release states.

Each campus must notify SUNY of any courses that require in-person instruction, and students will receive pooled surveillance testing for anyone that are “engaged in this type of hands-on coursework during this timeframe.”

Students with special circumstances can also request permission to stay on-campus between Thanksgiving and the start of the spring semester. Routine COVID-19 tests will be given to those students who remain on-campus.

“These students will have access to meals,” according to the press release. “Trained staff will remain on campus and attendant to students’ needs, and can connect students who feel isolated or lonely to mental health and wellness services.”

While most campuses already mandate it, all students must wear face coverings in classrooms, conference rooms and all public spaces when they are with others — even when six feet apart from other people. In dining halls, students must be seated and remain socially distant while eating. Currently, SUNY Oswego’s dining halls are grab-and-go only.

During the semester, spring break has officially been canceled by SUNY. The SUNY Oswego spring break week, as well as Easter and Good Friday weekend, were already being reviewed for removal. Also, the possibility of ending the semester one week early was brought up. The calendar on the school’s website has not reflected these changes yet.

SUNY has allowed schools to bring in “single-day, midweek reading days” to put instruction on pause throughout the semester to give students a break.

“If colleges opt to do so, students will be highly discouraged from leaving campus,” the press release states. “Any on-campus services in support of religious observances must follow normal density, face-covering and quarantine/isolating protocols.”

All 64 campuses will also provide a “clear, plain language notice” titled “What Students Should Know.” SUNY will provide a template for each individual campus to customize for their student body. The notice will provide information on testing requirements, mandatory quarantine and isolation, compliance measures and percentages of courses which will be offered in-person and virtual.

“These additional efforts…coupled with uniform enforcement and compliance—illustrates that SUNY is setting a nationwide standard for controlling COVID-19 in the weeks and months to come,” Malatras said. “This aggressive strategy gives us the best change to return our students once again to classrooms in early 2021. But as we know, this is a fluid situation so we will continue to adapt and be flexible as issues emerge.”

This story will be updated on The Oswegonian website with any additional policies or specific wording from SUNY Oswego as soon as it becomes available.