ORONO — The University of Maine System is preparing to welcome students back to campuses for a traditional, in-person college experience at the start of the fall semester, according to a news release.

New guidance posted Wednesday by the University of Maine System alerts faculty and staff to plan for classroom instruction, residence hall occupancy, and campus-based activities for community members that resemble pre pandemic operations.

“Maine is moving forward responsibly,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “We are going to start planning now so we can provide our students and community members with a traditional, on-campus college experience and as much normalcy as possible.”

The University of Maine System has made voluntary employee participation in the vaccination effort a top priority, and is providing education and accommodations, including paid administrative leave for employees getting their first vaccination during work hours. UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy chairs the University of Maine System Vaccination Planning and Partnership task force and received her first dose of the vaccine recently from UMaine senior and nursing student Stephanie Nichols.

“COVID-19 vaccinations are important for our overall health and community well-being,” said President Ferrini-Mundy. “Knowing that all of our adult-aged students, faculty and staff will be eligible for a vaccine by July has us planning confidently for a rich, active and in-person campus experience this fall.”

University plans and preparations for the fall will align with civil authority guidance and be informed by the UMS Science Advisory Board. Plans for the fall may include monitoring for infection and other common-sense steps to promote public health.

Six feet of separation, testing continue through spring semester and commencement

Civil authority recommendations in the Moving Maine Forward Plan continue to maintain six-foot physical distancing and face coverings as key safety practices while adding facility capacity as a potential determination of indoor and outdoor gathering-size limitations. Updated University of Maine System guidance posted on the Together for Maine website makes it clear that six-foot physical distancing will be adhered to for the remainder of the spring semester and commencement.

“Throughout the spring semester, we will stay in alignment with civil authority recommendations that have helped limit the spread of infection on our campuses and in our communities,” said Chancellor Malloy. “That means adhering to 6 feet of separation and face coverings everywhere on our campuses, and as we plan for all university events.”

The University of Maine System will continue with its asymptomatic testing strategies and monitoring for COVID-19 with wastewater sampling throughout the spring semester. The university is currently conducting record-setting volumes of asymptomatic testing and producing most results in less than 24 hours with its mobile COVID-19 laboratory at the UMaine campus in Orono. The most recent 14-day positivity rate as determined by the UMS Science Advisory Board was 0.17%, representing 27 positive results among approximately 16,257 tests.