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MIT Students Will Not Return To Campus After Spring Break Due To Coronavirus

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – MIT has canceled classes next week and told students not to come back to campus after spring break, due to the spread of the coronavirus. All classes will be online starting on Monday, March 30.

MIT said undergraduate students who live in an MIT residence "must begin packing and departing" on Saturday. Undergraduates will be required to depart from campus residences no later than noon on Tuesday, March 17.

Although the risk to those on campus remains low, MIT President Rafael Reif said it was time for decisive action.

"These steps obviously disrupt the usual patterns of the semester for thousands of you," Reif said in a letter to the community. "I hope we can all be patient and respectful with one another as we cope with this extraordinary challenge."

MIT has not yet made a decision about this year's Commencement ceremonies.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker enacted a state of emergency on Tuesday after health officials announced 51 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the state's total of positive tests to 92.

Other colleges including Tufts, Amherst, Emerson and Suffolk University will also move classes online. Harvard University told students to move out of their dorms by Sunday.

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