Howard University moved many classes online amid a rise in COVID-19 infections both on campus and D.C. Multiple local universities have taken extra cautions as the BA.2 omicron subvariant fuels another uptick in cases.

In a statement, Provost Anthony K. Wutoh and Dean Hugh Mighty said final examinations for undergraduate students will be online, as will undergraduate didactic courses scheduled for April 14 to 22. Other classes, including laboratory, graduate and professional courses, will continue to be in-person. Staff and students are required to wear masks and follow other mitigation efforts. Residence halls will stay open through finals.

Howard University is encouraging, not requiring, staff and students to receive their booster shot as they become eligible. The school community can access vaccines at the university Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon.

The private university in the Shaw neighborhood appears to be the first in D.C. to return to online instruction. American and George Washington universities reinstated their mask requirements earlier this week amid rising cases. American University plans to re-evaluate the mandate next month. Meanwhile George Washington University will keep its mandate through the end of the semester, as well as for commencement ceremonies.

The universities are going beyond what is federally or locally recommended or required. DC Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said last Thursday that she has no imminent plans to recommend or require masking indoors because she said community levels are still substantially low. DC Health relies on the CDC’s definitions, which have changed to deemphasize infections and prioritize health care system capacity. “With that being said, we’ve always been very clear that institutions, businesses, workplaces, maintain the right to have their own requirements,” she said at the time. “Our residents always maintain the right again to do indoor masking as it makes sense for them.”

Nesbitt acknowledged cases are starting to climb, a trend seen elsewhere in the Northeast. According to DC Health, COVID-19 moderately impacted the health care system and levels of disease severity between April 3 and 9. The weekly case rate and hospital admissions due to COVID-19 reached medium levels for the first time last week since early February. The CDC, however, still reports low COVID-19 community levels as of April 7.

D.C. has among the highest daily reported cases per 100,000 in the U.S. as of April 13, according to The Washington Post, whose tracker provides daily updates. Cases are up 54%, average 222 cases based on a seven-day rolling average. Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 slightly rose, while deaths remain level.