Fall semester classes at UC Berkeley will be online-only
BRIGHTON, MA - MAY 15: Jose Escobar holds his laptop in Brighton, MA on May 21, 2020. The laptop given to him by his school for remote, online learning, does not work. (Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BERKELEY, Calif. (KTVU) - The University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday announced plans to begin the fall semester entirely online.
As COVID-19 cases around the Bay Area and state trend upward, the university said its best that classes be taught online.
Campus officials said it is unlikely there will be a dramatic reversal in the public health crisis before the fall semester begins on Aug. 26.
The university said it will continue with prepartions to implement hybrid or flexible learning models should conditions improve.
"COVID-19 is showing us that we have to be not only agile, moving quickly between degrees of openness and sometimes pulling back, but also prepared to move forward as soon as conditions allow," UC Berkeley's Public Affairs Office said in a statment.
If previously approved in-person instruction returns later in the semester, students will not be required to attend classes in-person. They have the option of continuing with the virtual classes through the semester.