The University of Maine System announced Tuesday that it is making plans to welcome back students in the fall.

The system formed a Fall 2020 Safe Return Planning Committee to develop plans and protocols to safely welcome students, employees and the public back to campus. The panel will prioritize student safety, said Chancellor Dannel Malloy.

Plans will be in place if the system gets the green light for face-to-face instruction by late August.

“Governor Mills and our public health partners are doing an outstanding job leading our state through the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency,” Malloy said in a statement. “If they deem we are ready to begin a return to normalcy by summer’s end, Maine’s public universities will be ready with operational plans and action steps to safely bring students, employees, and the public back to our campuses.”

All schools in Maine are currently closed to in-classroom instruction because of the new coronavirus.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.