New Jersey’s Ivy League school, Princeton, is encouraging students not to return to campus after spring break and instituting virtual classes.
In a Monday letter to students and staff, Princeton President Chris Eisgruber warned that New York had declared a state of emergency and that advisers say the school “should proceed on the assumption that the virus will spread more broadly and eventually reach our campus.”
There have been at least six confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in New Jersey, but Eisgruber said that number is expected to grow. He wrote that the acclaimed Ivy League school is taking the measures out of an abundance of caution.
“We encourage students to consider staying home after Spring Break. If students choose to remain home after Spring Break, we will make sure that they are able to meet their academic requirements remotely,” Eisgruber wrote.
The president acknowledged that the strict measures will cause “significant disruption and inconvenience” but said the “potential consequences of not acting could far outweigh these short-term disruptions.”
“I ask all of you to join in supporting these policies, which address a threat affecting us all,” he said.
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Columbia University in New York City, another Ivy League school, announced Sunday that classes would be canceled on Monday and Tuesday and that the rest of the week’s classes would be conducted remotely. President Lee Bollinger said in a statement that a member of the Columbia community has been quarantined but has not yet been diagnosed.
“This message will soon be followed by more specific information from deans and other University leaders, including plans for remote instruction beginning Wednesday and continuing until the start of Spring Break on Friday,” Bollinger added.
Hofstra University in New York is also canceling in-person classes this week. The university noted that “all class work will be made up, and a new schedule will be announced soon.”
The United States has seen a recent surge in cases of the flu-like virus, with more than 600 confirmed cases across the country as of Monday afternoon. Almost 100 of those cases are in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City.
The stock market saw a record plunge on Monday morning, with trading temporarily frozen after the S&P 500 index dropped 7% at open. Events across the country have been canceled as fears of a coming pandemic grow, with the iconic South by Southwest conference being canceled on Friday.
An attendee at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference was diagnosed with COVID-19. The individual had contact with at least two Republican lawmakers, who are self-quarantining. Politico and other newsrooms have told staff who attended to self-quarantine.
