A number of U.S. colleges and universities have taken the precautionary measure of suspending or canceling classes as the coronavirus continues to spread.
What began for many schools as a ban on travel to affected areas has since evolved, with many now requiring faculty to teach their lessons remotely through the internet.
The respiratory illness — which began in Wuhan, China in late December and has since spread across the globe —prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public healthy emergency, the first since the zika epidemic in 2016.
Multiple states, including Ohio and New Jersey, have declared states of emergency amid the outbreak, which has so far killed 27 people in the United States, mostly in Washington state, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
At Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, school President Lawrence Bacow told students that classes will be transitioning to virtual instruction by March 23 — and that students shouldn’t return to campus after the school’s spring break.
Meanwhile, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana told students they were required to move out of their houses and first-year dorms no later than Sunday, March 15. Some students expressed concerns over making travel arrangements in such a short amount of time, and the school directed them to the Financial Aid Office for assistance.
ALLEN J. SCHABEN/GETTY IMAGES
It remains unclear if students’ room and board will be refunded for the semester. Harvard did not provide further clarification on extenuating circumstances when reached by PEOPLE, though the school’s FAQ page said “a small number of delays or exceptions” would be made in the cases of students who could not move until after March 15.
See below for a list of other schools that have halted in-person classes for the time being.
California: There are 143 confirmed cases of coronavirus in California, and so far two people have died.
- San Francisco State
- San Jose State
- Santa Clara University
- Stanford University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, San Diego
- University of Southern California
Connecticut: There are two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Connecticut.
Massachusetts: There are 41 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts.
Nebraska: There are three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nebraska
New Jersey: There are 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Jersey.
New York: There are 148 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York.
- Barnard College
- Columbia University
- Fordham University
- Iona College
- The Julliard School
- New York University
- St. John’s University
- Yeshiva University
Ohio: There are three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio.
Tennessee: There are four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Tennessee
Texas: There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Texas.
Washington: There are 167 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Washington, and so far 23 people have died.
