Poor Air Quality Leads SF State, Other Colleges To Cancel Classes
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The unhealthy air caused by the smoke coming from the Camp Fire has led San Francisco State, San Jose State and other schools to cancel classes for the rest of the week Wednesday night.
Early Wednesday evening, the university announced that it would be shutting down the campus at 5 p.m. and cancelled classes for Nov. 15-17, blaming the severely unhealthy air conditions.
"The health and safety of all students, faculty and staff is the University's top priority," officials said in a press release.
SFSU announced that in addition to the closure of the main campus, the downtown campus and the Estuary & Ocean Science Center at the Romberg Tiburon Campus would also be closed through the weekend.
Exceptions to the closure and cancellation include residential life services, dining services and essential personnel, SFSU officials said.
Residential life will continue to have staff on 24-hour call and is planning indoor activities for residential students on campus. The Student Health Center will also stay open Thursday and Friday and will remain a distribution center for ventilation masks for students.
SFSU officials said classes were scheduled to resume on Monday, Nov. 26.
Additional cancellations by other schools in the Bay Area would follow.
San Jose State University announced late Wednesday night that the school's campus would be closed on Thursday and Friday.
UPDATE: #SJSU campus will be closed Thursday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 16 due to unhealthy air quality levels in the Bay Area caused by wildfires throughout the state.
— San Jose State University (@SJSU) November 15, 2018
Information and updates at https://t.co/y0q2aLDqRb pic.twitter.com/9dXATqSavS
School officials said additional information and updates would be provided on the SJSU website.
Additionally, Cañada College officials in San Mateo County announced that the Cañada College, the College of San Mateo and Skyline College campuses would be closed through Saturday due to the unhealthy air with all classes, offices and scheduled events canceled. Classes and campus operations are set to resume on Monday, Nov. 19.
Cal State East Bay also announced that its campuses in Hayward, Concord and Oakland would be closed on Thursday due to the air quality.
UPDATE: All three Cal State East Bay campuses will be closed Thursday, Nov. 15 due to poor air quality. All classes, work, events and activities are canceled for the day. Residence halls, the Dining Commons and Student Health Services will remain open. #csueb
— Cal State East Bay (@CalStateEastBay) November 15, 2018