The University of Oregon board of trustees approved UO’s state-mandated COVID-19 Health and Safety Operational Plan at their board meeting Thursday.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order on June 12 requiring public universities and community colleges to develop a written plan explaining how the institution will comply with state COVID-19 guidelines no later than Sept. 1. The university must also submit the written plan for approval to the institution’s governing board. 

The plan “takes a comprehensive approach to COVID-19 by monitoring health indicators, by reducing the likelihood of the virus spreading, by instituting testing, contact tracing and isolation and quarantine protocols and by requiring and reinforcing behavioral expectations for members of our community,” UO President Michael Schill said.

For the university to limit the spread of COVID-19, students must wear masks, stay six feet apart from others, perform symptom self-checks and wash their hands. “This plan only works if each of us takes it upon ourselves and each other to work very diligently,” Schill said.

UO will test students living on campus once they arrive and then retest the population five to seven days later. The university will require infected students to self-quarantine and will offer university housing to do so.

The university has determined distancing requirements for “every single space in the university,” as well as the appropriate room and building capacities, Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips said. “We also have a lot of specialized needs,” he said. “For instance, we need to know how much aerosol a clarinet produces. We have done that analysis.”

UO has upgraded more than 100 classrooms to support electronic delivery and meet sanitation standards, Phillips said. The university may use “under-utilized” classrooms as study spaces and rooms for other student activities. UO plans to release an updated version of the class schedule by Sept. 3.