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UW-Madison suspends face-to-face classes amid virus fears

By: Associated Press//March 11, 2020//

UW-Madison suspends face-to-face classes amid virus fears

By: Associated Press//March 11, 2020//

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By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison officials announced Wednesday that they will suspend face-to-face instruction following spring break and that students shouldn’t return to the campus because of fears of spreading the coronavirus.

Various universities around the country have already taken similar steps, including Ohio State. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced Tuesday that it was extending its spring break to a second week, to run through March 29, and planned to move most classes online once students return.

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health troubles, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.

Still, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday. Wisconsin has had only three confirmed infections but two are in Dane County.

“Our health partners tell us that now is the best time to act in ways that slow the spread,” UW-Madison officials said in a statement posted on Twitter.

UW-Madison’s spring break begins March 14 and lasts until March 22. Face-to-face instruction will end on March 23, the date classes are scheduled to resume. The suspension will last until at least April 10, when university officials will reassess the situation. Students will be able to complete coursework remotely until face-to-face instruction resumes.

The statement said officials are especially worried about the safety of students who share bathrooms and cafeterias in campus dorms. They said students should not return to the dorms following break and should take all their essential belongings with them when they leave.

The dorms will remain open to students who can’t return to their permanent residences, however, but they should expect “a reduced campus experience with limited opportunities for interaction and reduced campus services.”

All campus events of more than 50 people and all university-sponsored travel has been canceled until at least April 10, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the ban will prevent the men’s basketball team’s participation in the Big 10 tournament in Indianapolis this weekend or the NCCA tournament.

The campus will remain open and all faculty and staff employees will continue their regular work schedules unless told to do something else by their supervisors. It’s unclear whether research labs will remain open; many of them rely on student workers.

The statement concludes by urging people to respect people wearing masks and those of Asian descent, saying some students have complained of racist comments and people moving away from them on public transportation.

The university serves around 43,000 students.

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