EXTENSION REQUEST

Harvard Tells Students Not to Come Back After Spring Break to Stop Coronavirus

The university plans to move classes online starting March 23, a day after spring break ends.

Harvard University has told students they shouldn’t return from spring break to help prevent the novel coronavirus outbreak from getting worse. Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said in a message to students on Tuesday morning that the school plans to move classes online starting March 23, a day after spring break ends. “The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity with each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings,” said Bacow, in a message reported by CBS Boston. Students who are staying on campus for spring break and beyond have been warned to expect “severely limited on-campus activities and interactions.” Bacow added: “To our students, especially those of you graduating this year, I know that this is not how you expected your time at Harvard to end... We are doing this not just to protect you but also to protect other members of or community who may be more vulnerable to this disease than you are.” Amherst College and Ohio State University have also announced they are suspending in-person classes through the end of the month, after similar moves by Stanford and Princeton universities.