University administrators urged students to remain vigilant in following public health guidelines — particularly after a student was hospitalized due to severe symptoms and two students tested positive for the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant since arriving on campus this semester.

Pottruck began a reopening pilot program on Feb. 3 after the Quiet Period ended, with plans to potentially reopen to all students. Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian on Feb. 23 that the protocols taken during the pilot program “have been shown to work.”

The Campus Compact Violation Data Dashboard, which will be updated monthly and was released on Friday, shows that 52% of violations resulted in disciplinary sanctions, 33% in educational interventions, and 14% in campus restrictions.

City officials projected that Philadelphia will soon only have enough money in its reserves to run the city for three days.

Although the studies focused on flu vaccines, lead author and Wharton professor Katy Milkman said the findings can be applied to COVID-19 vaccinations. 

The clinic was open to people in phase 1b of vaccine distribution who live in zip codes the organization identified as "hardest hit" by COVID-19, including zip code 19104 where Penn is located.

The city anticipates it may finish vaccinating residents by the end of July.

Penn Medicine hired 50 new laboratory assistants through the University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to strengthen testing capabilities and give nontraditional applicants access to STEM careers.

The decision comes after the University observed that the majority of students who have been exposed to COVID-19 end up testing positive on their 10th day in quarantine or before, if they test positive at all.

Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé emphasized that while the University's lower positivity rate is encouraging news, it does not signify that community members can become complacent in adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

Penn President Amy Gutmann discussed the ethical and practical implications of the COVID-19 pandemic at a virtual event on Thursday.

Around 20% of Saturday's vaccines were reserved for those who lacked internet access to register online for an appointment.

Restaurants will have to follow new ventilation standards that require air to circulate 15 times per hour.

Some students are reporting inadequate and confusing meal policies and violations of safety guidelines.

The vaccination effort will begin in late February and take place in pop-up clinics located in school buildings throughout Philadelphia.

Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said there is "no evidence of an out-of-control outbreak" on campus despite undergraduate cases increasing from 113 to 239  between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6

The variant — a more contagious form of COVID-19 — was identified on campus after the two students tested positive and reported recent personal or familial travel from the United Kingdom.