Coronavirus: All GA Universities, Colleges Closed For 2 Weeks

GEORGIA — Effective Monday, March 16, all University System of Georgia institutions will temporarily suspend instruction for two weeks, the system announced Thursday afternoon. This will allow time for the colleges and universities to test their business continuity plans and online instruction modules, and for state officials to continue to assess the current situation regarding coronavirus in Georgia.

"Students who are currently on spring break are strongly encouraged not to return to campus. Students on campus are asked to depart campus by close of business Friday, March 13, 2020, and to remain away from campus until March 29, 2020. At this time, students are not being asked to move out of their dorms for the remainder of the semester. For students who are unable to leave campus, please establish a mechanism to safely accommodate those students on campus.

Please activate your relevant business continuity plans and ensure the operation of online instruction should that become necessary. Further guidance will follow as the situation warrants."

Although no college or university in Georgia has reported any cases of the new coronavirus in students, many schools are approaching spring break, including one school which is extending its break and moving all classes online.

Emory University was the first Georgia university to extend its spring break. The university said Wednesday night it will extend spring break for students until Sunday, March 22, and transition to remote learning for graduate and undergraduate classes on Monday, March 23.

Residential learning will be suspended for the remainder of the semester while the university remains open, Emory said in a release.

• All students residing in Emory residential facilities should collect belongings and move out of their spaces between now and Sunday, March 22 at 5 p.m. Residential facilities will close at this time and will remain closed for the spring semester.
• Students can expect to hear from their faculty about plans for the continuation of their classes.
• Emory has recommend canceling all gatherings not essential to the academic mission in order to reduce the risk of exposure to and transmission of the virus.
• Emory continues the indefinite suspension of all official and previously authorized travel for students, faculty and staff to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea.

"The decision to transition to remote learning, limit events, and offer telecommuting options is consistent with CDC guidelines to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and reflect similar actions from peer institutions. We carefully considered all options to ensure that our entire community can feel safe in these uncertain times. We appreciate your flexibility, patience, and commitment to our community as we navigate the path forward together. While we do not have all of the answers to the very many questions that will naturally follow from our decision to take these measures to protect our community and those in the greater Atlanta region, we pledge to keep you informed as the path forward becomes clear. Please watch for future communications and expect that regular updates will appear on the university’s dedicated website: Coronavirus Updates for the Emory Community."

As of Thursday morning, there are now 31 confirmed and presumed positive cases of the new coronavirus in 12 counties around Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday night.

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Globally, more than 127,000 people have been infected and more than 4,700 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Thursday morning. Of that total, more than 80,000 confirmed cases are in China, while the entire United States has 1,323 confirmed cases as of Thursday morning. There have been 38 deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak.

Emory Healthcare has identified two presumptive cases of COVID-19 on testing sent from Emory Healthcare to the Georgia Department of Public Health laboratory. One individual is a returning traveler from a CDC Level 3 country who personally sought care in an Emory Healthcare emergency department. The second person is also a returning traveler from a CDC Level 3 country who was referred to a TravelWell Clinic at the discretion of Department of Public Health for testing.

Latest global and U.S. confirmed cases and deaths from Johns Hopkins.

Related: Interactive Map: Latest US Coronavirus Cases

Here are what some Georgia colleges and universities were saying prior to the two-week suspension:

University of Georgia

To date, there have been no cases of COVID‑19 reported at the University of Georgia, although there are now reported cases in the state of Georgia.

UGA is on spring break March 9-13 for students, but offices remain open. Students return March 16.

Following guidelines from the CDC and Georgia Department of Health, all travelers originating from, returning from, or connecting through a CDC Warning Level 3 or higher travel notice area must not return to a University of Georgia campus or facility until they have been symptom-free for 14 days from the date of entering/re-entering the United States. Travelers should self-quarantine and follow CDC and local health authority guidelines.

For all students, faculty, and staff, if you are traveling internationally in any capacity — through UGA or on personal travel — register your travel through the Office of Global Engagement’s International Travel Registry.

Georgia Tech

In a message to campus, President Ángel Cabrera formed a coronavirus task force that will lead the preparation for and coordination of an institute response in the event campus operations are affected.

Georgia Tech students will go on spring break March 16-20.

All Georgia Tech-related travel to countries listed at Level 3 or higher on the CDC’s travel advisory have been canceled. An Institute-sponsored program to Japan has also been canceled. Additionally, all international spring break programs sponsored by Georgia Tech have been canceled. Domestic spring break trips will proceed as planned.

For those traveling to and from countries under a CDC Warning – Level 3 and higher, Georgia Tech encourages students to notify Stamps Health Services at covid19travel@health.gatech.edu of the recent travel, and then self-monitor and self-isolate for 14 days before returning to campus.

Effective immediately, Georgia Tech requires that all large-scale campus events adopt enhanced public health protocols. Event organizers should increase available hand sanitizer as well as adopt more stringent pre- and post-cleaning regimens.

Custodial staff will alter their cleaning practices to focus more on surface cleanliness and disinfection, particularly in common areas.

Georgia State University

As of Thursday, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Georgia State. The university will continue to provide updates to the community, including on its website.

Campuses remain open. However, the school said it is prepared to make changes should public health authorities recommend otherwise.

Georgia State said it knows this is a rapidly evolving situation, and it is staying alert to new information and recommendations coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Department of Public Health and the U.S. Department of State.

Spring break is March 16-20.

Kennesaw State University

There are no reported cases of exposure to the virus at Kennesaw State.

The university has established a coronavirus task force to lead the preparation for and coordination of the response by the institution in case operations are affected. The task force members have been working with emergency and health management officials within the university to assess continuity of operations plans in case normal operations are interrupted.

KSU's spring break is March 30-April 3.

University of West Georgia

As of March 11, the University of West Georgia has no suspected cases of coronavirus, and UWG has not been notified of any member of the campus community with the virus.

The Student Health Center has procedures in place for contagious severe illnesses and is prepared.

To reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses, all patients arriving at the UWG Student Health Center with cough, sneezing, sore throat, fever, and respiratory issues will be asked to provide a travel history to determine if they are at risk for the newly identified coronavirus. We are also mindful of the increased stress caused by the situation.

The University System of Georgia and its institutions will not approve travel to any country listed with a travel health notice of Level 3 or higher according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Spring break is March 16-20.

University of North Georgia

University North Georgia officials, in partnership with state agencies, continue to monitor closely the COVID-19 public health situation.

UNG has an emergency operations plan that includes established protocols for monitoring and responding to infectious diseases. In the interim, key UNG personnel are conducting tabletop preparedness exercises for the purpose of improved internal coordination and implementation of safety measures.

Spring break is March 23-27.

Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University has no suspected cases of coronavirus, and Georgia Southern has not been notified of any member of the campus community with the virus.

University System of Georgia and its institutions will not approve any travel to any affected countries based on the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control related to the new strain of coronavirus.

The risk of the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia remains low at this time, and Georgia Southern administration and healthcare personnel are closely monitoring the situation as it develops following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health, as well as the University System of Georgia.

Spring break is March 16-20.