John Carroll University Stops In-Person Classes Due To COVID-19

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH — John Carroll University will suspend in-person instruction until at least April 13 due to fears of the new coronavirus. All classes will move online starting March 16, university officials announced.

Students are being encouraged to return home while face-to-face classes are suspended. Students who are unable to leave campus may remain in their residence hall, university officials said. Dining services will continue, though hours may change.

"Our goal with these measures is to proactively limit the potential transmission of the virus in our community. Certainly, these decisions will be disruptive, but they have been made with the health and wellbeing of our campus community in mind," said John Carroll President Michael Johnson. "We realize that there will be significant questions from students, faculty, and staff about logistics related to this decision."

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During a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine recommended that all Ohio colleges suspend face-to-face classes and move to online-learning only. Many universities have heeded the advice, including The Ohio State University, Kent State University and now John Carroll.

Faculty and staff can continue to use the John Carroll campus, Johnson said.

Here are the other measures being taken to halt the spread of COVID-19:

• All public masses at the university are suspended
• All public events at the university, including guest speakers, forums and guest lectures, are cancelled through April 13
• No new events will be scheduled on campus until after April 13
• All university-sponsored international travel is suspended through at least May 1
• Non-essential university-sponsored domestic travel is strongly discouraged

Ohio's first confirmed cases of coronavirus, called COVID-19, were announced on Monday. All three infected people live in Cuyahoga County. The Jewish Education Center in Cleveland Heights has been closed for two weeks after a staffer tested positive for the virus.