UVM students will be allowed to return home early for break and remote classes in the wake of a spike of COVID-19 cases at UVM and Vermont as a whole. 

Though the last day of classes before break is Nov. 24, undergraduate students are permitted to leave campus “in the coming week’ and continue their classes remotely, according to a Nov. 15 email to UVM community members from Gary Derr, vice president for operations and public safety.

“Due to the recent rise in coronavirus positivity rates, we understand that families may want to reunite prior to that time,” Derr stated in the email. “Students who plan to leave early should notify their faculty as soon as possible.”

Students leaving early will have to complete the COVID-19 testing exemption form to request a temporary exemption from on-campus testing and are required to schedule an additional COVID-19 test before leaving campus, the email stated. 

The testing center will be open Nov. 21 and Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to accommodate for students leaving on Nov. 23 or Nov. 24. Students should take advantage of this additional testing time, Derr stated. 

“[You should] make sure that you do not risk spreading COVID-19 to family and friends,” he stated. “You may be spending time with people who have underlying health issues or who are older, such as grandparents, and are therefore at greater risk of infection.”