SoCal Universities Suspend In-Person Classes Due To Coronavirus Concerns
WESTWOOD (CBSLA) — Universities across Southern California have announced they will begin suspending all in-person classes amid growing coronavirus concerns.
The University of California Los Angeles will suspend all in-person classes beginning Wednesday, March 11, the university's Chancellor Gene D. Block announced Tuesday.
According to a release, although there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus currently at UCLA, the following changes are being enacted to limit the spread of the virus:
• In-person classes are being suspended, wherever possible, with a transition to online learning platforms through April 10, which is the end of the second week of Spring Quarter.
• Winter Quarter final exams will be offered remotely.
• Students are encouraged to start the Spring Quarter remotely from home, though university housing will remain open for those who need it.
• Nonessential gatherings of more than 100 people will be phased out over the next few days and attendance at all UCLA Athletics home events will be spectator-free through April 10.
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The UCLA campus will remain open, including student housing, medical facilities, clinics, and research laboratories.
UC Irvine also has announced that all exams next week will be administered remotely and that Spring quarter instruction will be conducted remotely and canceled all events and gatherings with more than 100 participants.
The university also announced that a student might have contracted the disease, but the official test from the Orange County Department of Health came back negative. The university said it had notified those who were in close proximity to the student in an abundance of caution.
Also Tuesday, UC Riverside suspended in-person instruction through April 3 and the University of California Santa Barbara announced they will be transitioning to remote instruction for the remainder of winter quarter and the start of the spring quarter through at least the end of April.
Similarly to UCLA, UCSB will also make Athletics Department events "fan-less." the university announced.
Loyola Marymount University announces that classes will meet online between March 16 until March 31.
On Friday, USC said that it would replace in-person classes as a test of the system. On Tuesday, the school said it would be extending online lectures through the rest of the month over coronavirus concerns and all university-sponsored events would be canceled or postponed.
In a letter sent to students and parents sent Friday, USC stated there are no cases of COVID-19 on its campus. However, "our university must be nimble and flexible in the event that we need to make any further changes to the semester. We have about 7,000 lecture classes this spring. We need to test our technical capabilities to ensure academic continuity in an online environment should there be a disruption."
The University of California San Diego, will be offering all spring quarter classes remotely — with teachers being told to utilize online teaching and learning tools for courses conventionally held in a classroom environment.
