University of Colorado going online amid coronavirus threat

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The University of Colorado at Boulder is suspending all in-person classes for the rest of the semester amid fears the coronavirus could spread among the school’s 35,000 students.

Chancellor Phil DiStefano wrote in a letter to students, faculty and staff Wednesday that professors will begin teaching online Monday. Much of the campus, including residence and dining halls, libraries, rec centers, health center and student union, is expected to remain open.

“We will get through this together. ... The risk of not acting outweighs the inconvenience of these temporary measures,” DiStefano said.

CU also has suspended university funded travel, as well as several study abroad programs in Asia and Europe. It joins Colorado College in Colorado Springs, which announced Tuesday that it was extending spring break for an extra week and will shift to online courses when students return at the end of March.

Leslie Weddell, a spokeswoman for the small liberal arts college, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that extending spring break will allow for more time to “monitor and assess the ramifications of the virus’ reach.”

The schools’ decisions come after Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency in Colorado that he says will allow him to take measures to slow the spread of coronavirus and limit economic disruption.

For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared coronavirus a pandemic. It says people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while severe cases may last three to six weeks.

The number of people in Colorado who have contracted the virus has risen to 20, including three in Pitkin County who had been in contact with an Australian visitor to Aspen who tested positive after returning home.

In the Denver metro area, a state-run drive-thru testing facility opened Wednesday, accepting only people with a doctor’s order. A Denver public elementary school closed for cleaning after a parent of two students tested positive. Buckley Air Force Base in suburban Denver also closed a child care center after a parent tested positive.