Jacksonville University President Tim Cost is planning for a fall semester return to the traditional on-campus experience.
“We are 100% committed to you being on this campus come this fall in late August, to take your classes, to live and learn heree, and in some cases to resume your college career at a university that you love, and in many cases for many of you to start your college career here,” Cost said in a video sent to WJCT News on Wednesday.
He said a task force has been working for going on more than 60 consecutive days with a focus on “you succeeding here safely.”
Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage
Cost said the university is coordinating with elected officials and health organizations who are “loaning us world-class infectious disease experts and epidemiologists.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said at a Tuesday Senate committee hearing it is unlikely a vaccine or a treatment for COVID-19 will be available that by the time fall semesters get underway.
Fauci went on to clarify that school reopenings should be based on testing capacity and the severity of local outbreaks, not on whether a vaccine is available.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
