Tulane delaying spring semester start date

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Tulane University is taking extra precautions as it looks ahead to the spring semester.

University officials are pushing back the start date by one week due to rising COVID cases. Tulane officials say the delay to the start of the spring semester is to ensure appropriate health precautions are in place for when students return to campus.

The spring semester originally set to begin on January 18, will now start on Jan. 25.

This one-week delay will also give students more time to get their booster shots. Like faculty and staff, all students will be required to receive a booster shot once they become eligible for one.

Officials closed the Reily Center and reinstated an indoor mask mandate after a “rapid increase” in the number of COVID-19 cases, primarily among undergraduates.

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All students are encouraged to quarantine for 5 to 7 days prior to their return to New Orleans. And all students must take a COVID test 48-72 hours before their return to Tulane.

University officials say the delay to the start of the spring semester does not impact the rest of the planned school calendar or 2022 commencement.

The university is also enforcing a mask mandate. Everyone must wear a mask regardless of vaccine status while inside any university building.

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