Following a Harris County “Stay Home, Work Safe” order, UH is reverting all building entrances to controlled access.
This order is different from shelter-in-place, which is typically reserved in the Houston area for hurricanes.
Buildings at UH, UH at Katy and UH at Sugar Land will be under controlled access.
“Similar to universities in other cities and states which are under Stay-at-Home order, the University of Houston is expected to continue its operations remotely,” President Renu Khator said in an email. “As a state public university, we also continue to seek guidance from state authorities and work with other state universities on how to safely fulfill our mission and continue to operate.”
Access control began Friday and will last through April 3, the last day of the county’s order.
Khator said all UH locations will expand their social distancing efforts by reformatting programs and support services.
Student Housing and Residential Life will remain open until the end of the Spring semester, but students are being encouraged to go home while the stay-at-home order is in place, according to Khator’s email.
The University has implemented this along with an interim pass-fail option for undergraduate courses.
In regards to the confirmed two positive cases of COVID-19, President Khator said individuals have not been on campus and any contact they have made has been notified. In the Houston region, there are at least 414 coronavirus cases.
“Regular service will resume once the Stay Home, Work Safe order has ended,” said UH Facilities Associate Vice President David Oliver in an email.