Penn State classes are still set to remain in-person during the spring semester but, due to increasing local hospitalizations and the uncertainty of the omicron variant, the university is asking the University Park community to prepare for the chance the semester could start remotely.

The university has said it will update the community Dec. 30. The first day of spring classes is Jan. 10.

“Our overriding concern remains the health and safety of our campus and local community,” university President Eric Barron said in a written statement. “As I have said throughout the pandemic, the university has developed a number of on-ramps and off-ramps to address situations that may emerge. We fully expect to start the spring semester as planned with in-person classes and activities, but we also wanted to let the University Park campus community know that we are continuing to monitor local conditions and are prepared to alter return plans for the semester if deemed necessary.”

Last fall, without the vaccine, Penn State was forced to temporarily move to remote learning as weekly on-campus cases approached 700. This fall, with a reported 89.8% vaccination rate, there were never more than 200 weekly cases.

Still, the status of Centre County’s lone hospital, Mount Nittany Medical Center, has remained a serious concern - something the university alluded to in a news release issued Friday. According to the university, commonwealth campuses are expected to begin the semester in person as planned due to their smaller populations and “greater regional health care capacity,” implying the 260-bed capacity near University Park was an issue.