The United Faculty of Florida released its list of recommendations Wednesday for a safe reopening o the state's colleges and universities.
Some of the recommendations include implementing resources to test and isolate new cases at colleges and keep alcohol-based sanitizers in every room.
They recommend disinfecting every classroom every night and requiring face masks indoors until a vaccine becomes available.
Leaders say masks should be required inside campus buildings and that if college’s don’t require it, teachers may add it to their syllabus as a class requirement.
“Just like you gotta wear shoes in the shopping store. There are public safety things. And I think this is going to help us all from breathing on each other. And we know that the breathing droplets is part of how it spreads," said UFF President Karen Morian.
Many of these guidelines would cost schools a lot of money, but the UFF president says there are funds available.
“There’s rainy day funds, there’s foundation money, there’s reserves. There’s more money for high education in the HEROS Act which has passed the house," said Morian.
The HEROS Act is $3 trillion coronavirus relief package that has yet to be voted on in the Senate.
Polk State College just released its phased return to campus plan, which will begin July 20.
The UFF's recommendations are just that. Recommendations they hope will be looked at closely by the Governor’s office and the Board of Trustees as they make their own plans to reopen.
“It’s not just about getting bodies back on campus. But how do you do that safely. How do you that so they students that we know have raised anxiety over COVID-19. The concerns of their parents about their students returning safely. That all of that is taken into account," said Morian.