Harvard moves first-year MBA students online amid virus outbreak

Harvard Business School moved its first-year MBA students and some in their second year to remote learning this week amid a “steady rise” in breakthrough Covid-19 infections despite high vaccination rates and frequent testing.

Remote learning will be in place at least until Oct. 3 and the school has asked students to eliminate unmasked activities while indoors, Harvard said Monday in an emailed statement. Harvard is also increasing the frequency of testing to three times a week.

“Contact tracers who have worked with positive cases highlight that transmission is not occurring in classrooms or other academic settings on campus, Mark Cautela, a spokesman for the business school, said in the statement. “Nor is it occurring among individuals who are masked.” 

The school also asked students to limit in-person interactions with others outside their household, move all group gatherings online and cancel group travel.