Coronavirus in MA: Merrimack College Goes Online Through April 13

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Merrimack College announced Friday that it will go online-only Monday, March 23 through Monday, April 13. On-campus classes are expected to resume Tuesday, April 14, but that may change. The college will announce by April 10 if it is changing the resumption date.

There are no known cases of the new virus at the college. The measure as an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, using social distancing. It follows a decision Tuesday to extend the spring break an extra week.

All "non-essential personnel" began working from home at the end of Friday. Scheduled meetings, like classes, will be conducted remotely.

The full announcement is available here.

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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.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com