UCF prepares for students to return to campus in fall

University unveils changes made to its Orlando-area campus

ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida on Thursday unveiled changes that have been made to its main campus to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In preparation for students returning to in-person learning for the fall semester, UCF's Vice President of Facilities and Safety said there have been changes to infrastructure and operational protocols.

[READ MORE: These Central Florida counties have face covering requirements]

"We're doing this to help mitigate and that's our primary focus," Duane Siemen said. "We're trying to get the students back in here. We're trying to make the faculty and the staff feel comfortable in the buildings."

Siemen said the updates include the installation of a quarter-mile of Plexiglas, hundreds of touchless bathroom fixtures, hand sanitizer stations, ventilation systems with ultraviolet lighting and exterior motion sensor doors.

Classrooms have also been marked off for social distancing. In rooms with portable seating, capacity has been reduced to less than 50 percent, while capacity in lecture halls with fixed seating is less than 22 percent.

"It's a big difference. You're talking basically one out of five seats in fixed (seating) and one out of two in portable," Siemen said.

All of the updates come at a price tag of roughly $5 million, but officials said some of the money has been offset by a drop in expenses during the shutdown.

"That alone saved us several million dollars that we were able to reinvest into these products that you see," Siemen said.

In June, UCF announced its reopening plan, which includes limited capacity in classrooms and staggered seating for social distancing. Students will also be required to wear face coverings while inside classroom buildings.

Further details about UCF’s reopening plan can be found by clicking or tapping here.

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About the Author:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.

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