Coronavirus Update, March 11, 2020

It was announced yesterday that Cornell would move classes online after spring break to avoid further possible exposure to COVID-19. According to the University, Cornell undergraduate students are being asked to go home to their permanent residences at the start of spring break on March 28 and not return to campus thereafter. Vice President of Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi told The Cornell Sun, “This decision is significant and has lots of consequences to it.”

Now, the Cornell Sun is reporting the Ivy League is canceling all spring athletic practices and competitions through the end of the academic year. The number one ranked women's and men’s hockey teams are both supposed to take part in playoff games this weekend. Those will take place in a mostly-empty Lynah Rink this weekend, since effective today, all in-person, non-essential Cornell events including 100 or more people will be postponed, cancelled or offered online.

Ithaca College is instituting new restrictions as well, including postponing or canceling non-essential events with more than 100 people until the end of the month. According to Ithaca College news, the school will give an update on events scheduled in April and beyond by March 27th, and give an update on further policies surrounding COVID-19 by tomorrow morning.

New York governor Cuomo announced on Twitter this afternoon that starting March 19th, CUNY and SUNY schools will also move to a distance-learning model for the rest of the semester.

The New York State Department of health is reporting that as of yesterday morning, there are 216 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus throughout the state. The Tompkins county health department is testing five people for a COVID-19. There are no confirmed cases in the Tompkins or Schuyler Counties yet.