The task force comes after Michigan Gov. Whitmer extended the Stay at Home order to May 15 and relaxed some of the restrictions. According to the new executive order, low-contact outdoor activities such as golfing and motorized boating are allowed with continued social distancing.

According to the press release, the task force will bring together multiple campus leaders to create a comprehensive re-opening strategy that will include guidelines for determining how and when to return to some or all on-campus activities, protocols for different campus units to follow when these activities resume, and what decisions apply university-wide and which can be made at the individual college level.

The press release did not specify which on-campus activities would be the first to return.

The task force is made up of internal university leaders and is not collaborating with any City of East Lansing government officials, city Communications Coordinator Mikell Frey said in an email.

According to the press release, The task force wants to reopen campus without endangering the health of students, staff, or faculty members.

“For the health and safety of all our Spartans, it is important we get this right,” Weismantel said in the press release. “This process must be strategic, comprehensive and take into account the wide range of possible scenarios that could play out as we move forward. We are on the virus’s timeline, however that does not mean we should wait for it to start our planning for how and when to re-engage sections of our university in on-campus activities.”

University Spokesperson Dan Olsen was not available for interview at the time of publication.