Chestnut Hill College Closed Through Sunday Due To Coronavirus

CHESTNUT HILL, PHILADELPHIA — With novel coronavirus officially in the City of Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill College said it will close until Sunday, March 15.

The college announced the closure Tuesday.

Faculty, staff, and students are not expected to report to campus during this time and a decision regarding classes/office work will be made this weekend, the college said.

Chestnut Hill College has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus. However, out of an abundance of caution, and given the rise of cases in the surrounding area, the college decided to close.

One person has a presumed case of the illness in Philadelphia.

"One goal of closing the College is to encourage social distancing, a practice shown to limit the spread of illness," the school said in its announcement. "We realize that faculty and staff may need to come to campus to gather work and instructional materials and we encourage them to limit close proximity with others. As always, we continue to encourage members of our community to practice good hygiene and stay away from campus if they are experiencing a fever or respiratory symptoms."

During the closure, the school will undergo a deep cleaning and disinfecting effort.

And the closure will also provide faculty with the time required to prepare for alternative course delivery, if it becomes necessary. A decision regarding alternative course delivery will be announced by Saturday, March 14. If necessary, alternative course delivery and options for telecommuting for staff will begin on Monday, March 16.

"We recognize that these decisions cause significant disruption to the tight knit learning community that exists on campus, however we believe that this decision helps to mitigate potential health risks to our campus community," the school said. "As expressed in previous communications, members of our community should stay up to date on guidance released by the CDC."

During this closure, residential students are strongly encouraged to leave campus. If students are unable to leave campus, they must contact Jennifer Thorpe, Director of Residence Life by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.