All classes will be held remotely for the first two weeks of the spring semester due to a spike in COVID-19, Suffolk University announced in an email sent to students Wednesday. 

“Because of the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and across the country, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, we have made the decision that the first two weeks of classes in the spring semester on the Boston campus will be held remotely,” President Marisa Kelly said in the email. 

Campus will be fully open starting on Jan. 18 and students will be allowed to move back into residence halls on Jan. 16, however all classes will be held online until Jan. 31, according to the email. The rest of the campus’s offices and operations will also be open during the two week period, including libraries and dining halls, Kelly said. 

Kelly added that over 97% of students and 98% of employees are vaccinated, yet these numbers do not account for how many members of Suffolk’s community have so far received a booster shot. 

This news comes on the heels of the university instituting a COVID-19 booster requirement, requiring students to receive booster shots by March 1. More information on the required booster will be sent to students in the coming days and weeks from the office of student affairs, according to the email.

Questions about the changes to the spring semester plans can be directed to [email protected].