We want to keep you updated on the coronavirus concerns that led to this week’s suspension of classroom instruction at Rice.

At the moment, the situation on campus remains stable, with one confirmed case of coronavirus. That staff member is under medical care. The people who had contact with that person have shown no symptoms of the virus after 14 days, the quarantine time prescribed under the guidance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As that period concludes, those people who’ve shown no symptoms will return to work this week.

As of now, we intend to resume classroom instruction after the spring break. Of course, the situation is fluid and it could change, but barring any further complications we plan to resume classes on Monday, March 23.

U.S. public health officials are now describing an evolving focus from containment to mitigation of COVID-19. This has implications for how we proceed. One of the main tools in a mitigation strategy is social distancing. We are pursuing numerous social distancing strategies, such as restricting large gatherings, planning for remote course delivery and offering accommodations for at-risk individuals. We hope the combination of these strategies will be effective for fulfilling our teaching and research mission for the remainder of the semester and beyond.

Classes were canceled this week to give our faculty and staff two weeks, including spring break, to build the capacity to provide remote instruction for as many courses as possible. Here is a message that the provost has sent to the faculty explaining that process.

If you’re feeling symptoms that you’re concerned about, we’re asking you to fill out the questionnaire at one of these links:

English: https://veoci.com/veoci/p/form/p8zgvmwm9fbn#tab=entryForm

Spanish: https://veoci.com/veoci/p/form/3mr8wkde9vsv#tab=entryForm

As you may have read or seen in the news, college campuses throughout the country are taking similar steps. We’ll continue to keep you informed about what we know and what we’re steps we’re taking. In the meantime, you can find information about travel, classes and other operations at https://emergency.rice.edu/.