5 coronavirus things: Survey shows most schools expect to be fully in-person next fall

In this special edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments regarding coronavirus and its impact on onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

Almost two-thirds of the nearly 1,200 teachers, principals and school district leaders participating in a recent EdWeek Research Center survey predict that their schools will be fully in-person next fall while only 1% expect to be fully remote. The report summarizing the results noted that the respondents expecting full in-person instruction next year are “significantly more likely” to be from private or smaller public districts with smaller levels of low-income families and racial minorities.

Read more: Most Principals, District Leaders Predict Their Schools Will Be Fully In-Person This Fall

Following a spike in COVID-19 cases on campus, Binghamton University’s Residential Life faculty has implemented changes in dining hall services, including closing the College-in-the-Woods Dining Center and using it as a space to prepare meals solely for students in quarantine housing. As a result, only two dining halls remain open, with both experiencing a “drastic” increase in student traffic that is being mitigated with reducing the number of entrance points and enforcing social distancing guidelines in the food and checkout lines.

Related:Flavor of the Month: Achaar — a vibrant South Asian condiment

Read more: BU enforces new safety protocols as COVID-19 cases on campus rise

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) is the latest major university to announce that it expects its classrooms to return to full capacity in the fall 2021 semester as it expects the campus community to be fully vaccinated by then. The announcement also noted that UNL Dining Services will proceed with lifting restrictions at the end of the current spring semester while keeping within any existing health measures and university policies.

Read more: UNL classrooms expect to return to full capacity in the fall

In an effort to promote socialization among students in a socially distancing campus environment, the McDonald Center for Well-Being and Campus Dining at the University of Notre Dame partnered on a series of four virtual Meet, Greet and Eat dinners that gave participating students the opportunity to meet new people while sharing a meal together. Participants were split into small groups called “dinner tables” of about seven to 10 people.

Related:One On One With: Johns Hopkins Health System experiments with remote-order strategies

Read more: Meet, Greet and Eat connects students over virtual dinners

Hayek Hospital in Beirut has reportedly become the first hospital in the world to serve only vegan meals. The menu change came after a transition period where Hayek offered patients a choice between animal-based and vegan meals, along with information about the health benefits of choosing plant-based foods versus the dangers of consuming animal products.

Read more: Lebanon Now Has the World's First Hospital That Only Serves Vegan Food

Bonus: Recharged Rooted vegan cuisine concept debuts at Stony Brook University

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]