Coronavirus: UCSD Cancels In-Person Classes For Spring Quarter

SAN DIEGO, CA — UC San Diego will cancel in-person classes during the spring term in response to the coronavirus outbreak, university officials announced this week. All lecture and discussion courses will be shifted online when the quarter starts March 25.

"In the context of our campus, this will mainly involve offering conventional courses via online teaching and learning tools," a statement from the university said.

UCSD joins several other colleges and universities in California and across the country that are taking similar steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

UCSD also advised that events expected to have more than 100 people be canceled, and any campus tours or other events that bring visitors to campus be canceled for groups of more than 15 people.

Athletic events on campus will continue as scheduled but spectators will not be permitted, according to UCSD.

Don't miss updates about coronavirus precautions as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Public health officials Monday night confirmed the county's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in a local resident. The woman tested positive after traveling overseas to an unspecified location, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

The case is considered presumptive positive until test results are confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more: First San Diego County Resident Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Although the patient is considered the county's first coronavirus case, the virus has had a presence in the San Diego area.

Last week, a person who works at an AT&T retail store in Chula Vista but lives in Orange County tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the temporary closure of some AT&T stores in the region.

In February, the county also had two coronavirus cases involving people who were under federal quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar after being evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. Both of those patients have since been treated and released.

City News Service contributed to this report.