LOGAN – Utah State University President Noelle E. Cockett announced Tuesday afternoon all university events occurring after Thursday will be canceled until April 8 and encouraged USU faculty to crate contingency plans to transition their classes from traditional face-to-face to online.
Additionally, all university travel between Thursday through April 8 must be cancelled. According to an emergency management announcement from the university, students and employees in countries with travel restrictions must return home as soon as possible, and USU had canceled trips abroad to areas for which the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory of a level three — a suggestion to avoid nonessential travel. Students in “level 2” countries are asked to self quarantine for two weeks when they return to Utah, the website states. USU officials also encourage students on semester-long study abroad programs to consider returning home, as “challenges may arrive in the future.”
In a prepared email send to all university staff and faculty, Cockett also encouraged university personnel to follow “best practices to prevent the spread of disease and to stay home if you are sick, even if your symptoms are mild.”
The news comes as several schools around the country, including the University of Utah, have moved their in-person classes online and the state of Utah announced its third confirmed Coronavirus case.
USU spokesman Emilie Wheeler said the annual commencement ceremony is currently planned to continue as scheduled, but is on a contingency plan. Other options the university has considered include canceling the ceremony altogether, creating smaller ceremonies or postponing the ceremony, she said.
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