As Omicron Spreads, UAB To Keep Mask Requirement On Campus

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Right now, college students in Alabama are enjoying their winter breaks. However, things might look a lot like fall 2020 when classes resume in January, at least at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

A growing number of colleges are returning to online-only instruction and mask mandates for the spring semester as coronavirus cases spike nationwide and the omicron variant fuels worries of a winter resurgence.

UAB officials announced Tuesday that, due to increased local COVID-19 transmission, everyone would need to wear masks in university buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

As of Dec. 22, the United States was averaging more than 155,000 new cases of coronavirus each day, a 27 percent increase over the previous week, according to a Washington Post database. Deaths are also on the rise.

It’s been less than a month since the United States announced its first omicron case — yet, by Dec. 18, omicron accounted for 73.2 percent of new cases while the delta variant made up an additional 26.6 percent, according to a CNN report.

By Monday, 48 U.S. states had reported cases of the omicron variant, CNN reported.

Alabama is among those states. The omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa, was confirmed in Alabama Dec. 16.

In the CDC's Region 4 — which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — omicron variant cases outpace the delta variant significantly, accounting for 95.2 percent of the new cases of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities across the country — including some in Alabama — are taking precautions and putting in place safeguards to ensure students stay safe.

UAB and Auburn University both will require masks on campus for the spring semester regardless of vaccination status. The University of Alabama only requires masks for students who are not vaccinated.

Across the country, other notable colleges opting to go remote include Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of California, according to a National Public Radio report.

"The emergence of this new and fast-moving variant, coupled with student travel to and from campus and the prevalence of gatherings over the holidays, will present our campuses with a unique set of public health challenges as we begin the New Year," University of California president Michael V. Drake wrote in a letter to UC chancellors, NPR reported.

In some cases, schools will go remote only for the first weeks of the spring semester. Stanford University is among those opting for a more temporary approach. Classes there will be moved online for the first two weeks of the semester, and in-person classes are to resume Jan. 18. However, all students will be required to provide proof of receiving a COVID-19 booster dose, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.