Colleges consider more restrictions as Omicron outbreaks increase, but concerns about student mental health give pause

A few months ago, college leaders had hoped the spring semester would herald relaxed COVID protocols on campus, but with the arrival of the Omicron variant in the United States, those plans are on hold and more restrictions are being layered in.

Amid outbreaks this week, several colleges in the Northeast, including Cornell University, Princeton University, and Middlebury College, have gone so far as to move finals online and urge students to leave for winter break as quickly as possible.

No major institutions in Boston have undertaken such steps yet. And though a number of campuses have seen post-Thanksgiving clusters, public health experts are urging university leaders to think twice before they impose severe restrictions.

So far, they point out, most COVID cases on campuses have led to mild illness because most schools require students to be vaccinated, and the experts say limiting social interaction could seriously harm students’ mental health at a time when it is already fragile.

“I am worried about student mental health in places that might become really restrictive in the face of a new variant,” said Shira Doron, an attending physician and epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center and an associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.