Harvard moves to the virtual classroom to prevent spread of COVID-19

By Joshua Foster 03/10/2020

On Tuesday, Harvard told students not to return from spring break and moved all their classes online, following the same decision Amherst college made this Monday.

In a message to the community, Harvard President Larry Bacow said, “The decision was not made lightly. The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity to each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings.”

On the Harvard website, the university said that it will begin to transition to online classes Tuesday with the goal to have the shift complete by March 23. The university will allow those who can not return to their home countries–or don’t have access to internet at home–to request to stay on campus.

The university did not release an expected date for a return to on campus classes, but expects the restriction to last through this semester.

In a message to those in her program, Dean of the faculty of arts and sciences Claudine Gay said “This is hard stuff, and no one is in this alone.”