This story will be updated.
On Friday afternoon, Tompkins County Administrator Jason Molino declared a state of emergency, closing all K-12 schools in the local area until April 13.
There are over 10,000 students in 30 K-12 schools in Tompkins County.
Local colleges had already moved into emergency procedures, cancelling in-person classes and moving instruction online. Cornell President Martha Pollack suspended all classes for three weeks.
Ithaca College
On March 11, Ithaca College extended their spring break by one week until March 20. Classes will resume as online instruction for the rest of the semester. According to a message from I.C. President Shirly M. Collado, these measures are to ensure “minimizing the impact of a public health issue on our local community.”
Tompkins Cortland Community College
As of March 13, the college will remain open, with class instruction continuing as usual, until March 20, after which classes will be moved online. The college will not be closing, to accommodate those who are unable to return to their homes.
Syracuse University
Syracuse will transition to online courses starting on Monday, March 16. The university is providing resources to students that are unable to go home, with some residence halls, and dining and fitness facilities remaining open.
SUNY Cortland
Classes are suspended from March 23rd to March 30th, with spring athletics suspended until March 22nd. Online classes will begin after March 30th. Gov. Cuomo announced in a tweet on Wednesday that all CUNY and SUNY schools will follow a “distance learning model” as of March 19th to “reduce density and reduce the spread of the virus.”
Sarah Skinner ’21 contributed reporting.