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YOUNGSTOWN -- Amid the surging number of COVID-19 cases locally and statewide, Youngstown State University is set to begin the spring semester Monday with in-person classes -- and plenty of precautions.
All protocols and mandates will remain in place, including wearing facemasks while indoors, Brien N. Smith, provost and vice president for academic affairs, noted in a press release Wednesday.
"These precautions have kept the YSU campus safe for the past several months, and we remain committed to moving forward with in-person classes as scheduled," Smith said, adding, "We also will continue working closely with local and state health officials to monitor the virus and take appropriate actions if necessary."
Smith urged students and faculty to get vaccinated, wear a mask regardless of vaccination status in all buildings, perform daily health assessments, refrain from coming to campus if sick, wash hands frequently and take a COVID-19 test.
Such tests are free to students and employees, and are available at Mercy Health-Wick Primary Care on Wick Avenue.
The university also has a limited number of COVID-19 rapid-antigen take-home tests for students and faculty with no symptoms that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The tests can be picked up 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in Cushwa Hall, Rooms 2214 and 2303, Smith noted.
Those interested in the take-home tests are required to download the NAVICA app to their phones or Android devices and create an account, then follow the prompts. Results will be shared with the university.
YSU reported 53 COVID-19 cases between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, up from 30 between Dec. 19 and 25. Of the 53 cases, 10 were employees, 39 were students off campus and four were students on campus, according to the university's COVID-19 dashboard.
In addition, YSU held its latest on-campus vaccination and flu clinic Tuesday, with the next one planned for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Daniel L. Rossi Room (formerly the Ohio Room) in Kilcawley Center. Several others are scheduled during the semester.
The Youngstown City Health Department will be on hand to administer the COVID-19 booster shot as well as flu shots. Booster shots are not available, however, to those who have had the flu shot within two weeks of the clinic, though both can be given simultaneously, the university said.