UT canceled all in-person and online classes and campus events through at least Thursday at 8 a.m. due to severe winter weather, according to a message from UT President Jay Hartzell.
Essential workers, such as campus safety officers and residence hall employees, will still be required to be on campus this week despite the closure, Hartzell said.
COVID-19 vaccinations and proactive community testing at the University will not continue on Wednesday, Hartzell said. The University expects to use all vaccine doses when vaccinations resume, but it is not clear when that may be.
“Power outages and other challenges have made it difficult or impossible for many to work or learn, even remotely,” Hartzell said. “The forecast indicates that we will not see sustained temperatures above freezing for several more days, and we are expecting more winter precipitation.”
Campus initially closed due to the severe winter weather and power outages on Sunday, and all in-person and online classes and campus events were canceled through Wednesday morning, according to previous reporting by The Daily Texan.
Power outages have continued throughout Austin since Monday morning after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas called for rotating outages. The outages were supposed to last for 10 to 45 minutes, but millions of Texans have been without power since early Monday morning.
Students with power outages or housing issues can go to Kinsolving Dining or J2 for food and shelter during normal dining hours, according to previous reporting by the Texan.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown tweeted “there’s a good chance” people without power won’t have it turned back on until Tuesday afternoon.
Over 212,600 customers are currently without power, according to Austin Energy’s outage map.
Austin residents with power are encouraged to conserve energy as much as possible to help bring back power to the area, according to Austin Energy. Ways people can conserve power include unplugging unused devices, turning down the heat and not using electronic appliances such as the stove or dishwasher.