U of M cancels university-funded travel, tells faculty to prepare for online classes

The University of Minnesota announced on Tuesday it was canceling all non-essential university-funded travel starting Monday due to concerns over the new coronavirus.

The cancelation covers both domestic and international travel and comes as the Duluth, Rochester and Twin Cities campuses are on spring break this week and the Crookston and Morris are set to go on break next week.

Faculty were also encouraged to start preparing to shift classes to online instruction.

According to the Associated Press, colleges across the country have already decided to put in-person classes on hold temporarily. Other schools, such as Stanford and Harvard, have told students classes will be held remotely for the remainder of the semester.

The U of M had already canceled study abroad programs in China, South Korea and Italy, all of which have dealt with large outbreaks of COVID-19.