MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University is delaying its return to in-person classes and changing its masking protocol for staff and students as COVID-19 cases rise in the region, NMU Interim President Dr. Kerri D. Schuiling announced in a letter to the campus community Sunday.

Classes are canceled today and Tuesday, with remote classes to take place Wednesday through Friday. This comes as the university changed its masking protocol for staff and students and awaits thousands of KN95 masks for its students. The semester was scheduled to start today.

The university’s business operations will remain open all week due to mask availability for staff.

The university has ordered 12,000 KN95 masks for students that are expected to arrive Wednesday.

“That means they will not be widely available to students until later in the week and over the weekend,” Schuiling’s letter states. “Given these logistics, the decision has been made to cancel Monday and Tuesday classes and plan to hold classes remotely the rest of this week with the exception of labs and clinics. It is believed we have enough KN95 masks for students and faculty to be able to hold their labs and clinics as scheduled. We recognize these types of classes are more difficult to hold in a remote format.”

Starting today, all campus employees are required to wear an N95, KN95 or KF94 mask. These masks are already available for employees — two per person — at the Northern Michigan University Police Department in the Services Building. Employees are asked to pick up masks by the close of business today.

“If prior to that time you do not have a multilayered mask and are using a cloth mask, you are asked to double mask, which provides some increased protection,” Schuiling said in the letter.

The change stems from soaring infections and evidence suggesting that cloth masks offer little to no protection, with N95, KN95 or KF94 masks being the best options for protection.

“Unfortunately, the number of COVID infections in Marquette and the surrounding counties continues to rise. With that in mind, the COVID team met today to assess and evaluate our protocols,” Schuiling said in the letter. “Given that the omicron is so highly infectious and that cloth masks provide little to no prevention, it was determined that our masking protocols need to change. We also felt strongly that everyone on our campus — employees and students — need to be provided with the type of masks that provide better protection against COVID and especially its variant, omicron.”

All students residing in the residence halls are asked to double mask until they obtain their KN95, KN94 or N95 mask. This means that if a person has a cloth mask to wear, they need to add a blue surgical mask under it or use two cloth masks. Surgical masks are being distributed to the residence halls today. Residence hall directors will communicate to students when the additional surgical masks have been provided to their specific hall.

Northern will not be closed for business operations today and Tuesday. All services and operations will be fully functional during this time because of the availability of KN95 masks for employees, officials said. Faculty are asked to use Monday and Tuesday as days to adapt their lecture/discussion courses to be held remotely.

“While it is our hope that we will only have to hold classes remotely through this week, as always, we ask that everyone remain flexible due to the ever-changing landscape COVID brings,” Schuiling wrote.

“I apologize for bringing you this news at this time. It was hoped we would be able to stay face to face. The virus has made us think otherwise as we ramp up our masking safety protocols. I thank you in advance for your understanding.”

Those with questions or suggestions are directed to contact Schuiling or the COVID response team at SafeOnCampus@nmu.edu.