Eastern Washington University announced Wednesday that most courses will be online for the winter 2021 quarter.

Winter quarter starts on Jan. 4 with in-person instruction to continue for some classes while the vast majority will be online. The “online first, maximum flexibility” approach is the same as what has been used during fall quarter.

“This sensible approach will help ensure the health and safety of our entire campus community,” Interim EWU President David May said in a statement. “At the same time, we must continue to look at ways to find a strong path forward and provide academic continuity during this uncertain period so students can continue their progress toward a degree.”

Essential lab courses that can only be completed on campus will continue to be offered in person unless public health officials order otherwise, according to Eastern’s website.

Since Sept. 27, there have been at least 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at EWU, primarily in students living in campus housing.

Online classes are designed to be shifted to an in-person or hybrid model, should public health restrictions ease in the Spokane area, a statement from Eastern said.

Residential halls and limited dining operations will continue for students who choose to live on campus, EWU said.

At this point, EWU plans to use a similar model for spring semester, with mainly online classes .