COD To Transition To Online Classes Amid Coronavirus Concerns

GLEN ELLYN, IL — The College of DuPage is transitioning to online instruction as part of preventive measures to decrease the risk of novel coronavirus. While there have been no cases of coronavirus confirmed in DuPage County, school officials said in an update that they are taking steps to"reduce the potential for a coronavirus incident on campus."

Starting March 16 through March 22, in-person classes will not be held, but laboratory sessions will still be held as scheduled. Faculty and staff will go through training on "alternative delivery formats" to prep them to conduct future classes online.

As of March 23, lab sessions will still be held as previously scheduled, but school officials say "all other instruction" will be done online or via other alternative formats.

School officials say all College of DuPage classes will be held online or via other formats during the weeks of April 6 through 19.

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Additionally, events at College of DuPage have been cancelled for the remainder of its spring 2020 semester. College officials say they anticipate the May 15 commencement to continue as planned.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-Cov-2, emerged in China in late 2019 and is related to other strains that have caused serious illnesses 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 and no antiviral treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, some of these If you feel sick and worry you may have been exposed to coronavirus, you can contact the Coronavirus Disease Hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or your health care provider unless you are experiencing an urgent, serious medical emergency.

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