Dealing with COVID-19, in January

The real momentum started Dec. 21, when seven University of California campuses announced that they would start instruction online in January in response to the surge in Omicron infections. … Howard Gillman, chancellor of the Irvine campus, tried to offer context for the decision in a note to students. “Over the last several days, Americans experienced the impact of COVID-19’s Omicron variant in our everyday lives. … While we recognize that change is a constant in this pandemic environment, we are committed to doing all we can to maintain in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. At the present time, however, we know it is not prudent to return to in-person instruction immediately after winter break.”