UNDATED (AP) – Facing a rise in COVID-19, several U.S. universities are reinstating mask mandates, sometimes just days after dropping them. Mandates were shed widely in the wake of spring break as case numbers dropped following a winter surge fueled by the omicron variant. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant continues to rapidly spread throughout the country The clampdown means the end of the school year has been upended by the virus for three straight academic years. Soon-to-be seniors haven’t had a normal school year yet. (Photo: AP)