Cal State Will Keep All 23 Campuses Closed for Spring Semester

After extensive consultation with campus presidents and other stakeholders, and careful consideration of a multitude of factors – regarding the pandemic and its consequences, as well as other matters impacting the university and its operations – I am announcing that the CSU will continue with this primarily virtual instructional approach for the academic term that begins in January 2021, and also will continue with reduced populations in campus housing.

White claims that the decision was made in response to statistics that indicate that the number of coronavirus cases is plateauing in California. White suggested that it will be difficult to reopen the campus before a vaccine is widely available.

Another important aspect of the rationale for this decision comes from analyzing the facts about the pandemic itself. We know far more about it now than we did back in May. The virus continues to spread. There is no vaccine and there likely will not be one widely available any time soon. The summer increase in infections that was forecast in the spring happened as predicted, and it was larger than expected. While cases and hospitalizations are starting to stabilize in most of California’s counties, it is plateauing at a number that is approximately 40 percent higher than what we experienced in the spring.