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WKSU, our public radio partners in Ohio and across the region and NPR are all continuing to work on stories on the latest developments with the coronavirus and COVID-19 so that we can keep you informed.

Ohio State Reopens Student Union And Recreation Centers

Doors to the Ohio Union at the Ohio State University wrapped in caution tape.
Ryan Hitchcock
/
WOSU
Doors to the Ohio Union at the Ohio State University wrapped in caution tape.

Ohio State University’s student union reopened Monday, nearly five months after closing near the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ohio Union closed in mid-March as most of the university and the state shut down to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Ohio State recreation facilities, like the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, also reopened Monday.

The union will be open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Masks are required in all spaces, and the union has moved some of its furniture to follow physical distancing requirements.

It’s been 10 days since Ohio State rolled out a return-to-campus plan for fall semester that relies heavily on student testing, asking students to self-quarantine upon arrival, and urging social distancing when possible.

The school is also requiring students to sign the so-called Buckeye Pledge that some legal experts have called a liability waiver. It lays out best practices and tells students there’s some risk in returning to campus.

Students returning to campus this fall have to schedule move-in times during an 11-day window, starting Wednesday.

Copyright 2020 WOSU 89.7 NPR News. To see more, visit .

Steve Brown grew up in nearby Richwood, Ohio and now lives there with his wife and son. He started his journalism career as a weekend board operator at WOSU while majoring in journalism at Ohio State, where he also wrote for student newspaper The Lantern and co-founded the organization Students for Public Broadcasting.