Harvard University moves all classes online amid coronavirus fears

Harvard University.
(Image credit: Scott Eisen/Getty Image)

Harvard University is telling students to have a nice spring break — and not to bother coming back.

The Massachusetts school is moving classes online amid the coronavirus outbreak, starting March 23, The Harvard Crimson reported Tuesday. Students are to move out of their dorms by Sunday night, and have been instructed not to come back to campus following spring break.

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The University of Washington also canceled all in-person classes, halting lectures for some 55,000 students after a staffer tested positive for the virus. Stanford University in the Bay Area took similar steps, as has Ohio State University.

Though schools can be breeding grounds for germs amid close quarters, experts told LiveScience it's unclear whether closing schools will help to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, especially since there likely won't be a clear point when it's safe to bring students back to campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends handling school closures on a case-by-case basis, though it does say if classes are canceled, extracurriculars and group gatherings should be canceled as well. It's unclear whether Harvard's class cancellations will affect upcoming scheduled events like graduation.

Read more at The Harvard Crimson.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.