當地時間週二，美國哈佛大學決定改上網課。在新型冠狀病毒肺炎疫情爆發下，哈佛並不是特例。美國普林斯頓大學和福特漢姆大學已經暫停課堂教學。但哈佛的措施更進了一步。
哈佛通知該校學生，在3月15日（本週日）前搬出新生宿舍和高年級學生宿舍院，且在本學期內不得返校。
“學生應當把週日的搬離看作是5月春季學期結束的正常搬離，需把所有個人物品搬出宿舍，”學校在FAQ（常見問題）中向學生說明。
哈佛尚未決定是否向學生退還住宿費，稱“對於學生費用事宜，學校正在研究具體政策。請耐心等待，給我們一點時間；而當務之急是讓學生安全回家。”
相對而言，普林斯頓的政策更寬鬆些。該校只是鼓勵學生春假後呆在家中。也就是說，並沒有強制性要求學生撤離。
隨著新冠病毒的爆發，越來越多的美國高校取消了課堂教學。這些學校還包括：哥倫比亞大學、萊斯大學、斯坦福大學、霍夫斯特拉大學、加州大學伯克利分校以及華盛頓大學。
儘管如此，在這些學校中，部分仍然舉辦了體育活動，開放了研究實驗室。這些高校也基本上按照美國疾病控制與預防中心（CDC）的建議，保持宿舍開放。
“如果宿舍沒有新冠肺炎確診病例，學生就可繼續住校，”CDC指出。“在這種情況下，學校應教育留校住宿學生，如果校園出現新冠疫情蔓延，該如何採取防範措施保護自己。”（財富中文網）
Harvard University’s decision Tuesday to shift to an online learning model amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak isn’t unique. Princeton and Fordham have both suspended in-person classes as well. But Harvard is taking things a step further.
The school has given students until March 15—this Sunday—to move out of their houses and first-year dorms. And it’s telling them not to come back for the rest of the semester.
“Students should treat the Sunday move-out like an ordinary May move-out and remove all of their belongings from their suite,” the school said in a FAQ for students.
Harvard has not yet decided if it will offer refunds for the campus housing, saying “the University is still working on the details for what will happen with student charges. Please be patient as this will take some time and the priority is getting students home safely.”
The policy is stricter than Princeton’s plea with students to stay home after spring break. In that case, the evacuation was not mandatory.
A growing number of colleges and universities are cancelling in-person classesbecause of the coronavirus outbreak. Others include Columbia University, Rice University, Stanford University, Hofstra University, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington.
Some of those schools, though, are still holding athletic events and keeping research labs open. And most, if not all, are keeping residences open on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If cases of COVID-19 have not been identified among residents of on-campus community housing, students may be allowed to remain in on-campus housing,” the CDC said. “In this situation, educate housing residents on the precautions they should take to help protect themselves when there is community spread of COVID-19.”
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