EAST LANSING— On Friday, Michigan State University announced that they are going to begin lifting the enhanced physical distance order that was  issued on Jan. 31, 2021.

The university will be lifting the enhanced restrictions in phases, according to an email that students received on Friday evening from Vice President of Student Affairs, Vennie Gore. The ease of restrictions will be evaluated on a weekly basis, and students should expect the next  phase update on Feb. 19.

In the first phase of reopening, MSU will be reinstating in-person dining at the dining halls, with one person permitted per table. The campus IM fitness facilities will be reopened for physically distanced exercise and the MSU Union and Student Service building will resume normal business hours. 

However, MSU is still imploring that students do not gather together, whether on or off campus. 

Students living in on-campus housing received a second email with more guidelines. According to the email, on-campus students may not have visitors in their dorm rooms or apartments. They may not gather in groups in the lounge area or dine together, even if they are pod and bubble mates. 

While the number of positive cases on campus has seen a reduction, Michigan still had over 1,100 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. 

These new directives are a list of preventative measures that are mandatory for students to follow; failure to abide by said guidelines may result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from the university. Furthermore, students are still required to complete a health screening form daily when going to on-campus buildings for school or work. 

Students also have to participate in the COVID-19 Early Detection Program in order to participate in any on-campus activity, including in-person classes or employment.

The university set the enhanced physical distancing measurements back on Jan. 31, 2021. Those measurements included closing dining halls for in-person dining, closing the IM facilities, and limiting acceptable reasons that students had to leave their dorms to go to campus.

MSU also recommends that anyone feeling sick, or who has tested positive for COVID-19, self-isolate and avoid close contact with others. They can contact MSU’s COVID-19 hotline at 855-958-2678 for more information and help.