University of Pittsburgh delaying students’ return to campus

PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh is asking students to delay their return for the spring semester because of COVID-19.

Typically bustling with students returning from winter break, the Oakland campus was a ghost town on Tuesday.

Pitt asked students to stay home for now, saying “based on the prevalence of the virus after the holidays, none of the students should travel yet.”

The first day of class is tentatively set for Jan. 19, operating under a learning model that allows hybrid, remote and in-person instruction when appropriate.

University officials plan to give at least two weeks’ notice to all students before they can travel back to campus. This includes students in off-campus housing.

Students who stayed over break said this is another major adjustment, but it’s become the new normal in the COVID-19 era.

“As soon as we all come back to campus we just want to see our friends, but that’s not something we can do right now,” Samantha Knopp, a Pitt senior, said.