Well-known colleges and universities in the United States announced this week that they will end the first part of the school year early because of a rise in COVID-19 cases. They will also move final tests out of classrooms and onto computers. Princeton University and Cornell University are part of the group that is closing school early. Students traditionally leave school for about one month after December exams. Both Cornell and Princeton say nearly all of their students are vaccinated against COVID-19. At Syracuse University in central New York, students will need to get a booster shot before coming back to school in January. The schools also said some of the COVID-19 cases are from the Omicron variant first found in southern Africa in November. Kent Syverud is one of the top leaders at Syracuse University. Until recently, he said, the school was feeling good about the part of the school year that starts in January. “But Omicron has changed that,” he said. He added that the school will try to keep students and teachers safe until more is known about the variant.
Title: US Colleges Close Early for Winter Break as Virus Cases Rise
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='US Colleges Close Early for Winter Break as Virus Cases Rise' data-article-id='5976'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='15500'>Well-known colleges and universities in the United States announced this week that they will end the first part of the school year early because of a rise in COVID-19 cases. </span> <span data-start-time='15500' data-end-time='22667'>They will also move final tests out of classrooms and onto computers.</span> <span data-start-time='22667' data-end-time='30479'>Princeton University and Cornell University are part of the group that is closing school early.</span> <span data-start-time='30479' data-end-time='37917'>Students traditionally leave school for about one month after December exams.</span> <span data-start-time='37917' data-end-time='46250'>Both Cornell and Princeton say nearly all of their students are vaccinated against COVID-19.</span> <span data-start-time='46250' data-end-time='56500'>At Syracuse University in central New York, students will need to get a booster shot before coming back to school in January.</span> <span data-start-time='56500' data-end-time='68833'>The schools also said some of the COVID-19 cases are from the Omicron variant first found in southern Africa in November.</span> <span data-start-time='68833' data-end-time='74375'>Kent Syverud is one of the top leaders at Syracuse University. </span> <span data-start-time='74375' data-end-time='83458'>Until recently, he said, the school was feeling good about the part of the school year that starts in January.</span> <span data-start-time='83458' data-end-time='87083'>“But Omicron has changed that,” he said. </span> <span data-start-time='87083' data-end-time='95875'>He added that the school will try to keep students and teachers safe until more is known about the variant.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=18296 data-hint-location='46250' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/what_is_a_booster.wav'>What is a booster?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='an additional dose of a vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shot has begun to decrease over time'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/an_additional_dose_of_a_vaccine_given_after_the_protection_provided_by_the_original_shot_has_begun_to_decrease_over_time.wav'><span>an additional dose of a vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shot has begun to decrease over time</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/a_male_domestic_chicken.wav'><span>a male domestic chicken</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/a_convent_or_monastery.wav'><span>a convent or monastery</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/a_bulletin_issued_periodically_to_the_members_of_a_society_business_or_organization.wav'><span>a bulletin issued periodically to the members of a society, business, or organization</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=18297 data-hint-location='56500' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/what_is_the_name_of_the_covid19_variant_that_was_first_found_in_souther_africa.wav'>What is the name of the COVID-19 variant that was first found in souther Africa?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Omicron'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/omicron.wav'><span>Omicron</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/delta.wav'><span>Delta</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/beta.wav'><span>Beta</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/oligarch.wav'><span>Oligarch</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=18298 data-hint-location='15500' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/they_will_also_move_final_tests_out_of_classrooms_and_onto__blank_.wav'>They will also move final tests out of classrooms and onto <span class='blank'>computers</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='computers'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/computers.wav'><span>computers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/beaches.wav'><span>beaches</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/farms.wav'><span>farms</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5382/rooftops.wav'><span>rooftops</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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