Coronavirus: CSU-East Bay Cancels Classes

EAST BAY — The threat of new coronavirus has prompted the cancellation of all in-person classes at CSU-East Bay through Friday, officials say. Classes will resume online on Monday. Workshop, lab and studio courses that are not possible to teach online, will continue to meet in person.

University officials say libraries, housing, dining services, student health and counseling services will be open. Tutoring and advising will be provided in person, online and by phone.

The university joins other Bay Area colleges that have canceled in-person instruction including UC Berkeley, Stanford, San Jose State and San Francisco State.

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On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors officially declared a local health emergency as the county's health officer, Dr. Erica Pan, told supervisors that a third person in the county had tested positive for coronavirus, also know as COVID-19.

Pan recommended that non-essential gatherings of 1,000 or more people where people are within arm's length of one another be postponed or canceled. She said smaller events of 100 to 1,000 people should also be reconsidered.

"These recommendations are meant to slow the spread of the virus in order to protect the health of Alameda County residents, particularly the elderly and people who have underlying medical conditions," she said.

In Contra Costa County on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency as public health officials recommended that groups cancel large gatherings where 50 or more people are within arm's length of each other, including concerts, sporting events, celebrations, conventions, religious services and other church gatherings.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person, and someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others. That is why the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends that these patients be isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

— Patch editors Bea Karnes, Maggie Fusek, Jean Debail, and Bay City News contributed to this story

Also See:

• Coronavirus In Alameda County: 3rd Case Confirmed
• Coronavirus In Contra Costa County: Emergency Declared
• Coronavirus: All Catholic Schools Closed In 3 Bay Area Counties
• CA: State Of Emergency Declared Amid Coronavirus Death, Outbreak
• Dublin Cancels St. Patrick's Day Weekend Celebration