Local universities, which already planned to resume in-person instruction this fall, are now ready to pilot such classes late this summer after getting the green light from the governor.

On Thursday, Gov. David Ige approved Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s order that allowed private educational institutions in Hawaii to reopen as of June 19 with restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are already back on campus, as staff and faculty, preparing for an in-person fall semester,” Hawaii Pacific University President John Gotanda said today. “And we will move forward with adding some in-person classes to our online offerings during the second half of our summer semester.”

HPU’s second summer session runs from June 29 to Aug. 16. The private university’s plans include health screenings, social distancing in classrooms and facilities, and enhanced sanitization.

“At the core of an HPU education is a student-centered focus and a personalized, hands-on experience, and we can deliver this, in part, because of our very low student-to-faculty ratio,” Gotanda said.

The University of Hawaii’s also plans to offer a small number of in-person classes as well as some that combine online and in-person components during its second summer session, which runs from July 6 to Aug. 14.

“These pilots will include courses such as labs, career technical education and course elements that are most difficult to deliver fully online,” UH wrote in a recent email to students, faculty and staff. “Safety measures for any in-person activities will include room and lab reconfiguration to provide social distancing, sanitation and personal precautions such as masks and face shields.”

“The Summer Session II pilots will allow campuses to better plan and prepare for scheduling and offer a safe and effective mix of in- person and technology-intensive modes of instruction during the fall semester,” the UH email said.

Information about summer session course plans can be found in the catalogs for each UH campus.

Meanwhile Chaminade University is also gearing up to resume in-person instruction for the fall semester that begins on Aug. 24. It will offer in-person graduate programs starting in July.

“As a university, we plan to host our next term for graduate programs in-person with all social distancing guidelines in place,” Chaminade President Lynn Babington said Friday. “This term begins July 6.”

At Brigham Young University – Hawaii, the spring semester is still under way, and runs through June 26. The university does not offer summer classes. Its academic year starts Sept. 2.