Whatcom Community College has canceled all in-person class meetings for March 11
Whatcom Community College has canceled all in-person class meetings for Wednesday, March 11, for “faculty preparation time,” though the campus will remain open, according to a post on the school’s new coronavirus update resource page.
Bellingham Technical College, meanwhile, posted that it will end its Winter Quarter six days early on Friday, March 20, according to a post on the school’s COVID-19 information page.
All WCC classes will still be held as scheduled Tuesday, March 10, and in-person classes will resume Thursday, March 12, the post read.
The WCC post also said that all student services, online classes, community and continuing education courses and health professions clinical sessions will be available as scheduled on Wednesday.
“As of today, no campus closures or event cancellations are scheduled, based upon Whatcom County Health Department recommendations. ... The campus community is encouraged to continue practicing proper illness-prevention methods and staying home when sick,” the WCC post read.
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. The disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
More than 113,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 3,990 deaths as of Monday afternoon, March 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 600 confirmed cases with at least 22 deaths.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 8:02 AM.
