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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will delay the start of the spring semester by nearly two weeks, school officials announced Thursday.

In a message to the campus community, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Robert Blouin said the college will eliminate its traditional spring break so it can “limit any potential spread of the virus caused by travel during an extended break.”

UNC will instead offer five days of breaks during the semester either individually or in combined clusters.

“The schools and deans will make clear that these wellness days are intended as breaks from the semester – not for studying – so faculty will be instructed to avoid scheduling exams, quizzes and other major assignments on days following these breaks. The dates for the wellness days will be updated on the Registrar’s website soon,” Guskiewicz and Blouin wrote.

Classes will start on Jan. 19 and end on May 5. Commencement is scheduled for May 16.

In-person undergraduate classes were halted in August a week into the semester after a series of COVID-19 outbreaks struck campus.

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