On Monday, March 9, Amherst College announced the school will move to remote learning after spring break and that all students are expected to leave campus by Monday, March 16 due to the spread of theCOVID-19 virus.

Due to the duration of the suspension being unknown, all students are being told to take as many of their belongings as possible.

According to a press release issued Monday evening, classes will also be canceled on Thursday and Friday of this week “so faculty and staff have time to work on alternate modes of delivering courses, and students have every opportunity to secure transportation.”

Starting on Monday, March 23, students will complete work off campus. Students can remain on campus if they petition to stay on campus during spring break. The deadline for submitting a petition is 11:59 p.m. this Wednesday, March 11. “Late petitions will not be considered, and students whose petitions are approved are required to remain in Amherst over spring break,” according to the press release.

“While there continue to be no reported cases of the virus on our campus, we need to focus on mitigating its possible effects,” the release stated.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.

Abigail Charpentier can be reached at [email protected]. Ana Pietrewicz can be reached at [email protected].