Harvard Classes To Move Online Due To Coronavirus Fears

Harvard University will move its classes online starting March 23 due to coronavirus (COVID-19) fears. Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said in a message to students on Tuesday not to return to classes after their spring break.

“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,” President Bacow said.

• We will begin transitioning to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes. Our goal is to have this transition complete by Monday, March 23, which is the first day of scheduled classes following Spring Recess.
• Students are asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice. Students who need to remain on campus will also receive instruction remotely and must prepare for severely limited on-campus activities and interactions. All graduate students will transition to remote work wherever possible. Schools will communicate more specific guidance and information, and we encourage everyone to review previous guidance about both international and domestic travel.
• We are transitioning over the course of the next few days to non-essential gatherings of no more than 25 people. Please note this is a change from prior guidance.

Harvard will begin transitioning to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes. Read President Bacow’s message to the community. https://t.co/njh3ci1QEH

— Harvard University (@Harvard) March 10, 2020

“The decision to move to virtual instruction was not made lightly. 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. Our actions are consistent with the recommendations of leading health officials on how to limit the spread of COVID-19 and are also consistent with similar decisions made by a number of our peer institutions. The campus will remain open and operations will continue with appropriate measures to protect the health of the community,” the President added.

For regular updates and additional information, please visit this dedicated webpage.