LEXINGTON, Ky. ⁠— Wildcats will be back on campus this August. The University of Kentucky released its restart plan for the fall semester which includes in-person classes and open student housing. 

The semester will get an early start on Aug. 17 and an early end at Thanksgiving while finals week will be done remotely. 

“We are responding with a collective commitment to reinvent ourselves — fortified by our historic and vital missions of education, research, service and care and committed to creating new foundations. We will emerge stronger, nimbler and even more dedicated to serving our state and our world,” UK President Eli Capilouto said. “Guided by science and decades of practice in clinical care and public health, we can take comprehensive, common-sense steps to protect community health.”

The university's restart plan also includes a number of health and safety measures. All faculty, staff and students will be required to self-assess for coronavirus symptoms each day via an app, and students will receive a healthy living starter kit (START kit) that includes appropriate information, instructions and personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Coronavirus testing will also be available for all students as they arrive back to campus and testing is encouraged for faculty and staff with underlying conditions or who are over the age of 65. Infection rates will be monitored both on campus and within the community, and randomized testing may be implemented. 

Masks will be required unless someone is alone in a room, eating, drinking or exercising, or when it interferes with classroom activities. Social distancing will also be enforced, meaning classrooms and elevators will have reduced capacities. Barriers, such as plexiglass, will be set up in high-volume areas. 

Contact tracing will be implemented in the event that the virus is discovered on campus, and a quarantining protocol will be implemented for those infected. A residence hall will be reserved for quarantining infected students. 

Social distancing will be enforced in common areas of residence halls, and cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer will be available in all common spaces. Visitation in residence halls will be controlled or minimized. 

Dining halls and food options will reopen; however, they will transition to served rather than self-serve. Seating in dining areas will be limited. 

For faculty or students who have or develop health issues, UK's Information Technology Services is installing technology that will allow for flexible course delivery. 

Non-health care employees will begin their return to campus in a phased approach beginning mid to late July.

“Reopening and returning to the distinctive residential and classroom experience we provide will mean, in some cases, changing old habits and thinking of different ways to accomplish long-standing goals,” Capilouto said. “And, even as we take these steps, we must ensure that in social distancing to protect our health we find ways to draw closer together as a community, united in common purpose toward a greater sense of understanding around shared values. We can do this."