Metro

NYU moves finals online, cancels some indoor activities due to COVID surge

New York University will move final exams online and cancel some indoor activities, 🀅including athletic events, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Citing a “sharp acceleration” in student infections, school officials have forbidden all “nonessential” indoor events through the new year.

“The continuous review of the data from our COVID-19 testing program has indicated a considerable acceleration in the rate of new cases in our community,” Provost Katherine Fleming wrote in an email to the school community. “It’s not a cause for alarm, but it is a cause for concern, caution, and appropriate actions.”

The school encouraged instructors to move their finals to a remote format as♚ soon as possible.

NYU’s measures follow several other schools, including Princeton and Cornell, that have limited ind👍oor 𝓀activity due to surging coronavirus numbers and concerns over the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

New York University campus
New York University joins a list of universities canceling in-person final exams after reporting more COVID-19 cases on campus. Helayne Seidman
New York University campus
New York University Provost Katherine Fleming says the drastic action to switch to remote exams is “not a cause for alarm.” Helayne Seidman

An increasing number of colleges have also required vaccine booster shots for students to remain eligible for enrollment. NYU on Tuesday announced a booster deadline of Jan. 18 for all its “community members” amid the spread of the Omicron variant.