Because of a rising number of COVID cases in the region, Northern Michigan University has canceled on-campus classes for Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 10-11, and will shift to remote learning for the remainder of the week. Web and lab/clinical courses will be held as originally scheduled.
The university's mask protocol has changed with the new semester, as evidence suggests cloth masks offer little protection against the Omicron variant. NMU is issuing two KN95/N95/KF94 masks per employee immediately, since business operations remain open this week. An order of 12,000 masks for students is scheduled to arrive Wednesday, Jan. 12.
“I apologize for bringing you this news at this time,” wrote NMU Interim President Kerri Schuiling in a campus-wide email. "It was hoped we would be able to stay face to face. The virus has made us think otherwise as we ramp up our masking safety protocols. I thank you in advance for your understanding.”