Coronavirus has had a large impact on this year, affecting a lot within people’s lives along with campus life at Ash land University and with cases still on the rise that will continue to be the case. As of Nov. 12, there have been a total of 283,000 confirmed cases in Ohio, 679 confirmed cases in Ashland County and 30 confirmed cases in AU. 

As of now, AU students will be able to return to campus for the spring 2021 semester if they would like to. Classes will remain as either fully online or a hybrid style. However, if cases continue to rise students may not be able to return and classes may go fully online. AU will also be keeping its current Covid-19 safety policies in place for the spring 2021 semester. 

As for Ohio as a whole, Governor Mike DeWine has announced two forthcoming orders on a statewide address on Nov. 11, the “Revised Mask Order” and “New Social Gathering Order.” According to the revised mask order, on coronavirus.ohio.gov, “Each store will be required to post a sign outlining face-covering requirements at all public entrances to the store; each store will be responsible for ensuring that customers and employees are wearing masks; and A new Retail Compliance Unit, comprised of agents led by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, will inspect to ensure compliance. A first violation will result in a written warning and a second violation will result in closure of the store for up to 24 hours.” 

The new social gathering order states that “open congregate areas will no longer be permitted to open, and everyone will be required to be seated and masked unless they are actively consuming food or drinks. Bars, restaurants, and fitness centers may remain open, but this will be reassessed one week from tomorrow for potential closure.”

Full information can be found on coronavirus.ohio.gov in the Nov. 11 Covid-19 update.