USC students will stay remote for now amid omicron surge

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The University of Southern California is temporarily returning to remote learning when the spring semester starts up Jan. 10.

The explosion in COVID-19 omicron cases is leading to the change.

Los Angeles County on Friday announced nearly 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day, the highest number in 11 months. The spike is driven by the highly-contagious omicron variant, as well as holiday travel and get-togethers.

RELATED: LA County reports nearly 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in a day

The number of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County has hit nearly 10,000, the highest number since the pre-vaccine surge.

The university also announced all students, faculty and staff will be required to get booster shots to be allowed on campus.

In-person classes are tentatively set to resume Jan. 18.

University housing will open Jan. 6 and students will need to provide proof of a negative test before moving in, as well as before in-person classes resume.