Plans to deliver in-person lectures and seminars at University College Cork have been announced in an email addressed to students by the university’s interim president.

Prof John O’Halloran announced the university’s plans to permit on-campus face to face teaching at 80 per cent of the normal room capacity, with the number of people allowed in a room being capped at 200.

Laboratories and campus libraries will also operate at 80 per cent capacity provided that face coverings are used and infection control measures are followed.

Face coverings will be mandatory for all students attending on-campus lectures and lecture durations will be reduced to allow sufficient time for student changeovers.

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With lectures starting five minutes after the hour, the updated measures mean a traditional one hour lecture will allow for 45 minutes of teaching time with ten minutes at the end being permitted for students to vacate the area to avoid congestion during changeovers.

It will also be recommended for lecturers teaching a two hour lecture to take a break after the first hour to give students the opportunity to go outside and take a break from wearing masks.

It has also been announced that campus libraries will offer extended opening hours to ensure greater access to facilities for students, with additional reading rooms being introduced across the university campus.

At present, restaurants and cafés situated on campus are offering takeaway services only, which is unlikely to change until further Government guidance on indoor dining is announced.

Prof O’Halloran also announced that all club and society activities would be permitted within the framework of national public health guidelines, with all proposed events being reviewed by the Office of the Director of Student Experience and the Student Activity Safety Committee.

While the university plans to welcome students to campus this year, Prof O’ Halloran urged students to continue following public health measures and he encouraged all students to get vaccinated before returning to college in September.