As the corona virus continues to spread across the country, more and more schools are choosing to close their doors in an effort to protect their students. This has created an array of emotions, from fear to frustration, as well as a multitude of questions from parents and students. If there is an outbreak, there could be widespread, long-term school closures, and that has caused concerns over how it will affect learning and upend communities.

The virus seems to be mostly affecting West coast areas. For instance, in San Francisco, Lowell High School is closing until further notice after a student’s parent had tested positive for the novel corona virus. It is not clear how effective school closings are during virus outbreaks. Diseases spread faster among people in close quarters, which is a factor that often drives decisions to close schools.

As of now there are eleven confirmed corona virus cases in New Jersey; most of these cases have been located in North Jersey. In response to the virus,  colleges in New Jersey have taken precautions to be as safe as possible: Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University and Rowan University. The first college to take precautions was Princeton. The university decided to switch to online classes for the remainder of their Spring semester.  Shortly after, NJIT, Rutgers, TCNJ and Rowan announced to follow a similar plan. Some campus’ will remain open, however, the schools are encouraging students to stay home. 

It is hard to say if the schools are either overreacting or taking proper precautions. However, it is evident that the schools that are closing rather be safe than sorry. Perhaps they are in the right frame of mind and making the right decision. Only time will tell as we watch the virus.