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Tri County Tech Superintendent and CEO Lindel Fields announced on Thursday that the school would move to virtual instruction for the remainder of the semester beginning on Friday, Dec. 11th.

Fields said they've had boots on the ground since May. He said they've been very fortunate to offer the services they've offered, but an uptick in coronavirus exposures has caused students to go into quarantine.

The hope in going virtual on Dec. 11th is that it would give people plenty of time to space out. Fields said they didn't want people to be quarantined during the peak of the holiday season. He said eight-percent of the student population (approximately 60 students) is in quarantine.

Fields said Tri County Tech is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situations in the communities they serve from Wynona to South Coffeyville as well. He said the situation in Bartlesville was a key factor in getting TCT to move to virtual instruction for the remainder of the semester.

Tri County Tech will resume classes on Monday, Jan. 4th.

Fields said their hope is that COVID-19 numbers will go down. He said they'll have to keep an eye on the hospital situation and more during the break to determine if they'll continue with in-person courses or return to virtual learning out of the Christmas Break.

In addition to this, Fields encouraged students and staff to stay away from large crowds, to give themselves some space, and have a happy holiday season. He said he hopes students and staff take advantage of this time to learn, to be safe, and to have joy this Christmas.