University Of Minnesota Moving Classes Online Due To Coronavirus

MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota is working to move classes online amid the outbreak of the new Coronavirus, officially called COVID-19. The university is also canceling all non-essential domestic and international travel as of Monday, March 16.

"While the Duluth, Rochester and Twin Cities campuses are on Spring Break this week, and in anticipation of the Crookston and Morris campus breaks next week, we encourage our faculty to begin preparing to move classroom instruction online, especially for courses where this can be implemented immediately," University of Minnesota-Twin Cities President Joan Gabel wrote in a letter to students, faculty, and staff Tuesday.

On March 3, the university learned that two students from the Twin Cities campus had been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 while in Europe. They have been in quarantine since returning, and have not showed symptoms of COVID-19.

Gabel made the announcement regarding online classes on the same day that the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed a third case of COVID-19 in the state.

The case is an Anoka County resident in their 30s who was likely exposed through contact with international travelers.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Minnesota. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.