Only hours after the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Colorado State University has decided to follow suit with other universities across the nation and will move classes online on March 25, according to an email from University President Joyce McConnell.
Spring break has been extended until March 24. Classes online will be effective until April 10, at which time it will be reevaluated, according to the email.
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The Council of Deans met Wednesday to discuss assisting professors with moving courses online, according to University Public Safety and Risk Communications Manager Dell Rae Ciaravola. Indications of the move appeared last week when a notification telling professors to prepare to move classes online appeared on the Canvas platform.
Other Colorado universities made similar moves earlier this week, including Colorado College and the University of Colorado Boulder.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, there were 33 presumptive positive cases in the state, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
As of March 11, the Centers for Disease Control has announced there have been 938 reported cases of COVID-19 and 29 related deaths in the United States. Internationally, the disease has hit more than 100 countries, infecting more than 120,000 people and killing more than 4,300, according to The New York Times.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands often and avoiding close contact to prevent infection and recommends that people who are already sick stay home, wear face masks and clean and disinfect surfaces daily.
Ravyn Cullor can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @RCullor99.
