Michigan State University announced yesterday a partial reopening of residence halls and in-person classes for the spring 2021 semester.

Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced 2,500 additional dorm rooms would be available to students. All previous housing contracts for spring 2021 will be canceled, and a separate email will be sent to students soon on the criteria for spring housing.

Undergraduate courses start on Jan. 11, 2021, and end April 23, 2021, joining most other Big Ten schools in canceling spring break. Alternatively, MSU will include three midweek days without classes.

This fall, MSU had about 40 in-person classes and is expecting 400 “in-person educational experiences” for students this spring. Most classes will still be offered only online.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that she was sounding the alarm as the 7-day moving average for new positive COVID-19 cases statewide hit the highest peak since April 7.

The largest recent outbreak in Michigan has been in the Upper Peninsula, which has about 3% of the state’s population but more than 10% of the state’s newly confirmed coronavirus cases.

Many outbreaks have been related to religious gatherings. 18 new or ongoing outbreaks in the state have been linked to faith-based gatherings.

According to health experts, herd immunity requires 6.5 million more infections of COVID-19 and more than 30,000 additional deaths. More than 7,000 people have died from the virus up to this point in the state.

Calls to ban weapons in the Michigan Capitol building were renewed following the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other elected officials.

Michigan Capitol Commission, the body that has the authority to ban guns in the building, decided in a September vote to not implement a ban.

A total of 14 men have been arrested so far for their alleged involvement in the plan to kidnap the governor and overthrow the state government.

Six of the suspects were charged in federal court, whereas the other eight were charged with state crimes for their role in the plot.