Spanish version: https://theappalachianonline.com/in-spanish-app-state-extendera-las-vacaciones-de-primavera-y-permanecera-abierta-transicionara-de-instruccion-en-persona-a-los-metodos-alternativos-de-entrega-de-cursos/

UPDATE

Effective immediately, App State is extending spring break until 8 a.m. on March 23. The university remains open.

Per the email App State sent to students:

Remote work and other employment considerations:

• Employees whose schedules may be affected by the Spring Break extension will receive follow up communications.
• If a case of COVID-19 is reported in the App State community, should follow the procedures for people who contract COVID-19 or are exposed to the virus. More information here.

Classroom Instruction:

• Beginning Monday, March 16, through Friday, March 20 all undergraduate and graduate classes are canceled.
• Beginning Monday, March 23, online classes will continue as scheduled.
• On March 23, App State will transition from in-person instruction to alternative course delivery methods. Students will be provided with further instructions by March 18.

Labs, Practicums, Seminars, Studios, Capstones, Music, Theatre and Productions, Internships and Clinicals:

• Faculty are developing plans for these specific learning opportunities and will provide further guidance to students.
• All students should work with their internship coordinator and follow the guidance of the employers that they are working with regarding reporting to their internship or clinical.

Instructional Resources:

The Center for Academic Excellence offers resources to help faculty with learning technologies:

• Keep Teaching Guide to help faculty make a shift to online teaching on short notice
• Instructional Technology Consultant staff list

Study Abroad:

• App State has assessed its ability to recall all students currently studying abroad and will announce decisions about current and summer study abroad programs.

On Campus Housing:

• Students living in residence halls are encouraged to remain at home or off campus. We understand this may not be possible or prudent for everyone. If you have special circumstances that require you to return to a residence hall, please contact University Housing. Contact information is here.

Campus Activities, Events and Conferences:

• Effective immediately, all events with 100 or more in-person participants, including those events sponsored by student organizations and those organized by outside community partners on the App State campus, are canceled or postponed until otherwise directed or authorized in writing by the Chancellor or Provost. Organizers should consider offering their events via alternative methods if possible.
• No new non-essential, in-person events of groups of 100 more participants should be scheduled until further notice.

Intercollegiate Athletics:

• Athletic directors and teams are instructed to follow the guidance of their respective athletic conferences.

University-related Travel:

• Effective immediately, university-sponsored travel outside the state of North Carolina, or within the state to gatherings of 100 or more people, is suspended. This includes student organizations.

Personal Travel:

• App State strongly discourages travel to areas with active community transmission. Please note those who travel out of the country may have difficulty re-entering the United States. Please utilize the following resources to assist in making personal travel decisions:

The CDC travel webpage
The State Department travel advisory webpage
The International Air Transport Association’s list of travel restrictions

Return to Campus:

• Any university community member returning to campus from an affected area (read about CDC Levels 2 and 3 here) should self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to work or school on campus, in consultation with their health care provider. This self-quarantine should, if possible, occur at the individual’s home, away from campus. Taking such steps is part of acting as responsible members of the community.
• Employees who self-quarantine should communicate with their supervisors about working remotely during their period of quarantine.

Original story: 

The UNC System, which includes App State, has announced that all classes will transition from in-person instruction to a system of alternative course delivery, where possible and practical, no later than March 20 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The UNC System issued the following guidance:

• All UNC System institutions will transition from in-person instruction to a system of alternative course delivery, where possible and practical, no later than March 20. Alternative course delivery will begin on March 23 and last indefinitely. Our goal is to return to in-person instruction as soon as reasonably possible. Each institution will communicate the specific details to its students and faculty.
• University leadership will determine which classes, such as those with labs, will continue to require in-person instruction and attendance.
• Outside events and gatherings of 100 or more people will be cancelled or postponed unless otherwise authorized by a chancellor or provost.
• University-sponsored in-state travel to gatherings of 100 or more people is suspended, and all travel outside the state is suspended, unless otherwise authorized by a chancellor or provost.

Other schools across the country have also moved classes online or extended spring break including the University of Virginia, Harvard and MIT.

The novel coronavirus, also called Covid-19, was first detected in China and has since made its way to many countries around the world. The disease is caused by a virus with the official name severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic. As of March 10, there were 113,707 cases of the novel coronavirus and 4,012 deaths, according to WHO.

In America, there have been 938 cases and 29 deaths as of March 11, according to the CDC.

Resources

Latest updates on the coronavirus:

Local information from Appalachian Regional Health Department

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention situation summary information

Latest information from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Guidance from the World Health Organization

Health care guidance:

App State Health Services

Website: https://healthservices.appstate.edu/

Phone: 828-262-3100

AppHealthCare

Website: https://www.apphealthcare.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-2019-novel-coronavirus/

Phone: 828-264-4995

Boone FastMed Urgent Care

Address: 178 Hwy 105 Ext, Suite 101, Boone, NC 28607

Phone: 828-265-7146

Symptoms, treatment and prevention

CDC prevention and treatment information

Travel

Latest travel guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

COVID-19 information from the U.S. Department of State

Travel information for students (The Office of International Education and Development) 

More information from App State 

Classroom

Main page App State’s Center for Academic Excellence

Keep Teaching Guide to help faculty make a shift to online teaching on short notice