CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - Students are being welcomed back at the University of Miami for the Fall semester, and the college is taking extra safety steps to ensure they’re protected from the coronavirus.
They’ll be able to attend class physically next week if they so choose, but COVID-19 concerns are overshadowing the excitement.
On move-in day, students saw warnings around the Coral Gables campus telling them that they need to wear a mask.
Incoming freshman Sebastian Acuna showed 7News what UM called the Safe Return Kit, a bag filled with supplies to help protect them against the coronavirus, including a hand-sanitizer, thermometer, wipes and a mask.
Acuna knows that this school year will be different, and he’s already wiping down his dorm.
“There’s gonna be a lot of downtime in my dorm and less being out with my friends and stuff,” he said.
Miles Bearden, another freshman, said he chatted with his roommate about their COVID-19 game plan.
“He’s pretty serious about it also, so I’m glad we both got put together so we could take this thing seriously,” he said.
“This virus is smart, but we can be smarter,” University of Miami President Julio Frenk said.
Frenk recently recorded a video message reminding students not to let their guard down.
Universities across the country shifted to virtual learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. UM made the move back in March.
Now they stand behind their new science-based approach, which is why they reopened campus.
“We have done everything we can to keep our campus community safe,” Frenk said. “Now, we must stress not only our devoted faculty and staff but our students to care for each other.”
The University of Miami’s plan included sending students a testing kit to make sure they don’t have the virus before they step onto campus.
Students had a choice, too, to learn in-person or continue to do so online.
There is a 10 p.m. curfew in place, and everyone, including faculty, will have to write down their symptoms daily.
“I would like to underscore now that a big part of our decision to reopen campus has everything to do with the character of our people,” Frenk said. “I am confident that we can have a successful return to campus because I believe in our people.”
While some students feel confident enough that the school is setting up safety protocols around campus, others are concerned the school will be forced to close because of the virus.
“I do feel safe. The school is putting in a lot of precautions,” Bearden said.
“Yeah, I feel safe doing it, especially because the school is taking so many measures like the testing, mandatory mask-wearing and taking our temperatures before entering the classroom,” junior Toby Kamish said.
“I have a feeling it’s kind of gonna end pretty quick and we’re gonna go back just because of the sheer volume of people and the nature of a college campus,” Acuna said.
As for younger South Florida students in the Broward and Miami-Dade County school systems, officials are helping K-12 students get ready for online learning.
Mental health experts are reminding parents to be patient and create a routine on day one.
“Make sure that they’re eating OK, healthy,” Dr. Ximenia Flanders of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital said.
Before younger students return to school face-to-face, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that has to happen first.
“We need the county to expedite test results,” he said.
Miami-Dade is expecting to start school online Aug. 31, while Broward starts Aug. 19.
Classes at the University of Miami begin Aug. 10.
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