University of Maryland cancels winter commencement amid surge in COVID-19 cases

The University of Maryland has canceled its winter commencement after recording over 100 new positive COVID-19 cases on campus. 

“With a heavy heart, we are canceling all winter commencement activities,” the school said on Thursday. “This decision was not made lightly. We know how important this time is for our winter graduates and their families, but our first responsibility must continue to be the health and well-being of our community.”

The school announced the cancellation, along with other changes, as a result of the uptick in new infections. The school marked the highest case numbers it has seen all semester despite more than 98 percent of the campus population reportedly being fully vaccinated as of Thursday.

The university also said it would require students and faculty to wear KN95 masks as they complete any remaining in-person finals, in addition to asking that any indoor events through Dec. 22 where masks cannot be worn be canceled. 

Dining halls on campus will also only offer grab-and-go options, and students living in residence halls will be required to leave campus within 24 hours of their last on-campus final exam, according to the university. 

“I am acutely aware of the impact this virus continues to have on every member of our campus community,” the university’s president, Darryll J. Pines, said in the announcement. “We are all grappling with the strain and anxiety of this surge. None of this is easy.”

The school’s decision comes as Maryland as a whole has continued to grapple with COVID-19 infections. Earlier this week, the state was among those at the top of a list of 14 states that reported their overall inpatient bed capacity had surpassed 80 percent.

The rise in cases coincides with heightened concerns in the country and around the world following the first detection of the omicron variant in South Africa last month. Reports about the variant have caused U.S. health officials to double down on their calls for all eligible Americans to get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines.