As COVID-19 cases remain high, a South Carolina university is delaying its start date
South Carolina State University will delay the start of classes because of rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the university announced Tuesday.
Originally scheduled for Aug. 18, the start date has been moved to Monday, Aug. 23.
The delay will be used to inform students about COVID-19, encourage them to get vaccinated on campus and prepare additional safety measures if cases continue to spread, the school said in a news release. S.C. State, the only four-year historically Black public college in S.C., is already requiring students who live on campus to get tested weekly, the release said.
“Maintenance teams will further enhance and increase sanitization measures, and faculty will have time to prepare in the event the spread of the variant worsens, requiring a shift to digital learning platforms,” acting President Alexander Conyers said in the release.
Like other South Carolina public colleges, a temporary state law prevents S.C. State from requiring students to get vaccinated. However, the university still encourages students to get vaccinated.
“As the university steps up its response to this pandemic, we will do all we can to encourage students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated if they have not done so already,” Conyers said. “I have authorized the implementation of campus-wide incentives designed to encourage members of our campus community to receive the vaccine.”
On Sunday, the most recent date available, there were 1,991 new coronavirus cases in South Carolina.