About 1,300 undergraduate students return to Homewood

Undergraduate students began returning to Homewood campus residence halls this weekend in advance of the spring semester, as Johns Hopkins prepares to conduct in-person instruction for the first time since last March, when students were sent home in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roughly 1,300 undergraduates will move in over the course of a week, with the process spread out to ensure safety and allow for physical distancing. First-year students who opted to come to campus took their first COVID-19 saliva tests and began moving into on-campus housing Saturday, and sophomores who have decided to return will arrive this week.

The majority of Homewood undergraduate students will reside in off-campus housing in Baltimore, and 12% of the undergraduate student population has opted to remain home for the semester. Campus residence halls will operate at 50% capacity to allow for physical distancing.

The semester will begin Jan. 25, but class sessions for undergraduates will remain online until Feb. 1. All undergraduate students in Baltimore—including those living in off-campus housing and apartments—must receive two negative COVID-19 tests, optimally spaced apart, before taking part in on-campus instruction or other activities, and must take at least two COVID-19 tests per week during the semester. Tests will sync with the Prodensity app, which will act as students' access passes to enter campus buildings.