The University of Iowa announced it will be cancelling its spring youth programs in 2021 after considering the health and safety of participants. Departments that wish to carry out programs for minors must adhere to the university COVID-19 campus policies.

In the weekly COVID-19 update sent on Friday, the UI said programs including, but not limited to, academic programs, research, sports camps, and wildlife camps will not be held this upcoming spring semester.

The university also reported new COVID-19 cases on campus. As of Nov. 4, 50 students and 10 employees have self-reported testing positive for the virus. 

This brings the student semester-to-date total to 2,273 and employee semester-to-date total to 137.

The update said UI Hospitals and Clinics are prepared for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases and is ready to stay open and take care for as many patients as possible.

As previously reported by The Daily Iowan, UIHC Chief Executive Officer Suresh Gunasekaran said UIHC is ready to implement the first phase of its three phase plan to increase capacity and change quarantine procedures for hospital staff.

UIHC will be assigning staff to other areas and slightly decreasing clinical volumes, as well, the update said.

The update said UIHC will not be testing students who are traveling during Thanksgiving break, as it will only test individuals who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or are symptomatic.