After a hiatus of 566 days, more than 300,000 students enrolled in the public Universidad de Guadalajara (UdG) were able to return to face-to-face classes Monday, October 4.
Welcoming students back at a ceremony held at the CUCEA campus, UdG Rector Ricardo Villanueva Lomelí described the sight of students back in classrooms after the long break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as “nostalgic.”
Strict health protocols will be enforced at all UdG locations in Jalisco, with classes and entry times staggered, face mask wearing obligatory and social distancing enforced. Temperature checks will be carried out at campus entry points, cafeterias will only serve take-out food, and booths will be installed where students, teachers and administrative staff can get Covid-19 antigen tests.
Villanueva also highlighted the UdG’s key role in the state government’s pandemic response. The UdG set up four PCR detection laboratories with 320 volunteers, provided human and material resources for the vaccination program, and offered its brightest scientific minds to work with the government’s Mesa de Salud (Health Cabinet), he noted.
In the UdG’s high school (prepa) system, teams will check the CO2 levels in classrooms after each 40-minute period to ensure that the salones are fully oxygenated, said Cesar Barba Delgadillo, head of Sistema de Educación Media Superior.