The University of Maine, where the coronavirus has yet to spread, is encouraging students to stay in their dorms during spring break as more colleges close down and send students home.
University officials are preparing for thousands to stay by keeping dorms and dining halls open to students over the break period from March 16 to 22 without additional room and board charges, Dan Demeritt, a spokesman for the University of Maine System, told the Bangor Daily News.
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“We want to encourage students, faculty, and staff to stay here in Maine to limit their potential exposure to coronavirus and to do our part to help halt the spread of this terrible disease,” University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a statement.
The University of Washington and Stanford became the first major universities to close classrooms, moving online, Friday.
Now other major universities, like UCLA and Yale, are sending students home and holding classes remotely.
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This is coming at a time when prospective high school students and their families are making admissions decisions and the March 14 SAT test is still scheduled despite being canceled in China, Italy, South Korea, and other countries due to coronavirus fears.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.