SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego State University resumed some in-person classes Monday, allowing several thousand students to come back to campus.
Monday was the first time students were allowed at school since in-person classes were suspended in September due to the rising number of reported positive COVID-19 cases, both on and off campus.
SDSU fine arts graduate student Naomi Chicoine has been taking classes almost entirely online this semester because of the outbreaks on and off campus.
She said, "The hardest part is not knowing what's going to happen next. Are we going to be able to stay on campus or not?”
The school has nearly 1,200 cases since school started in late August. At one point, the case numbers were high enough to put San Diego County at risk of being knocked out of the state of California’s red tier and into the stricter purple tier.
Students are now being asked to do self-assessments and stay home if they're feeling sick.
Before they go into a class, students get their temperature checked at one of two kiosks on campus. A device scans their temperature, then displays green or red, indicating if they are fever-free.
Students get a wristband if they're cleared, which is date-stamped, and it allows them to go to class. The process takes less than a minute and saves professors from having to scan students themselves.
Everyone coming onto campus for class -- students and staff -- is also required to get tested at least every 14 days.
The school is also promising to strictly enforce mask and social distancing compliance. Classes are limited to mostly those required by students for graduation, around 3,000 students per week who will come to campus.
The California State University system has also expanded SDSU's ability to enforce policies. They say they're issuing citations to students and staff who don't comply with the rules.
Students could also face additional consequences, such as suspension or expulsion, according to a letter from the university president.
