UH moves most classes online for start of spring semester

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The University of Hawaii is temporarily moving many of its classes online for the first two weeks of the spring semester due to Hawaii’s COVID surge and spread of the Omicron variant.

UH President David Lassner made the announcement Tuesday in an email to all students, faculty and staff.

“We are not changing course modalities but merely making this adjustment to maximize the safety of our campuses including those who may be returning from another island or farther,” Lassner said, in the announcement. “We are disappointed to take this action but believe it is appropriate to protect the health and safety of our students and employees.”

Classes are still slated to begin Jan. 10 with an intent to return to in-person learning on Jan. 24.

The announcement said that courses that can be “effectively taught online” will be affected, but some classes, such as lab and clinical experiences, will remain in person with precautions in place.

Each campus in the UH system will individually determine which courses should move online based on several factors, including COVID conditions in the area and density of student populations in the classrooms.

Tuesday’s announcement follows many other colleges and universities that have made similar changes due to the nationwide surge in COVID cases.

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