US: Harvard gives students 5 days to evacuate over coronavirus fears—here’s what students have to say


by Abigail Hess

Colleges across the country have begun to cancel classes among growing COVID-19, or coronavirus, fears. National Public Radio estimates that more than 600,000 students have been impacted.  

One of the latest schools to shut its doors is Harvard.

On Tuesday, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow announced the school would transition to virtual classes for undergraduate and graduate students. He also said students would be asked not to return to campus following spring break and that the school would no longer be hosting non-essential gatherings of more than 25 people. 

An email Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana sent that day clarified that students would be required to evacuate their dorms in five days. The move has highlighted the bold steps some schools are taking to address coronavirus — as well as the unintended impact of such actions. 

Anil Bradley, a Harvard sophomore concentrating (the word Harvard students use in lieu of “majoring”) in physics and computer science from Long Island, N.Y., says that he and his roommates were blindsided by the announcement. 

“We were all in shock at the short notice,” Bradley tells CNBC Make It. “I’m lucky enough to have a strong situation where my dad is able to drive up from New York and drive me home, but a lot of my friends who are low-income and rely on the university for housing and dining are having trouble with travel costs and even housing security.” Read more via CNBC