Coronavirus forces US universities to remote instruction

Outbreaks of novel coronavirus cases are forcing major US universities to switch from in-person instruction to remote teaching for thousands of students.

Starting Wednesday, the University of North Carolina (UNC) will shift from in-person classes to remote learning for all undergraduates.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame University made the move for at least two weeks while Michigan State University (MSU) announced it was turning to remote learning and asked students planning to live on campus to stay home. Ithaca College in upstate New York switched to online-only instruction.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday said the number of deaths due to COVID-19 had risen by 1,172 to 171,012 and reported 5,460,429 cases, an increase of 39,318.

Globally, as of 5 pm EDT Wednesday, there have been 22.27 million cases reported, with 781,162 deaths and 14.09 million recoveries form the virus, according to data compiled by Reuters.

UNC announced Monday about 130 students tested positive for the coronavirus in the first week since classes started. Already in isolation were 177 students and 349 in quarantine.

Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, reported an additional 80 positive cases of the coronavirus of 418 tested Monday, the highest number of cases the school has reported in a day.

The cases have been linked to at least two off-campus parties, and the majority of students testing positive are senior undergraduates, mostly male, said school spokesman Paul Browne. Students returned to the campus this month and were required to submit a negative coronavirus test within a week of arriving.

MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr said the school would have all fall semester classes online, citing safety concerns for students and staff. The university will offer refunds or credits to students who have paid for housing in dorms.

MSU's colleges of Law, Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and all graduate programs are exempt from the change to remote classes, but no modified plans have been specified, according to officials.

"We know that this virus is relentless and is easily spread. We're seeing on our campus and in other areas of the country that a few mistakes by some are having large impacts on many," he said.

Schools in several other states, including Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia switched from in-person learning this month after students and staffers tested positive for the coronavirus.

Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, has sent home 14 students who disobeyed the school's ban on parties. The school said that anyone who attends a party will be banned from campus for at least two weeks.

Tulane University in New Orleans announced this summer that students hosting gatherings with 15 or more people could face suspension or expulsion. That includes students living in dorms, who then must relocate at their own expense.

The day after in-person classes for the fall semester began on Monday for Kansas State University's more than 22,000 students, at least 13 members of a fraternity tested positive for the coronavirus.

Local health officials at the school called for the fraternity's living quarters to be deep cleaned and disinfected and said that anyone who had been in close contact with positive patients should quarantine.

On Tuesday, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, said that it was investigating seven instances of "flagrant misconduct and persistent noncompliance", the News and Observer reported. Those being investigated face a range of potential consequences that go as far as permanent expulsion.