Faculty at Ohio State have been encouraged to stay off-campus through Friday in response to the omicron COVID-19 variant. Credit: Dreamstime via TNS

Faculty at Ohio State were encouraged to stay off campus through Friday in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant. 

In an email from Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa Gilliam Monday, faculty from the Deans of Academic Units and Libraries and the Office of Academic Affairs were asked to work off campus if possible this week. Interim Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Horn requested the same of the college’s faculty in an email Monday.

“For those whose work requires them to be on campus, they should wear high-quality masks at all times, hold virtual meetings, and avoid eating with others,” Gilliam said in the email.

Gilliam said the situation around the virus would be monitored for any updates in the coming days.

University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email the encouragement to work remotely was not a universitywide mandate, but rather a localized recommendation from these specific offices.

The recommendation came as University President Kristina M. Johnson announced protocols for students returning to campus for the spring semester. These guidelines reiterated that employees and supervisors will determine appropriate working arrangements for their specific needs according to Ohio State’s flexible work policy.

Kristina Johnson said each department may take pandemic precautions, such as encouraging its employees to work remotely, if needed and according to the flexible work policy.

“As has been the case throughout the pandemic, employees and supervisors have made a variety of decisions about work arrangements in accordance with that policy,” Ben Johnson said.