KEY POINTS

  • St. John's University administrators have asked in-house students to return to their homes following the rising cases of COVID-19
  • The University has also suspended in-person classes to prevent the spread of the virus in their campus
  • President Dr. Conrado “Bobby Gempesaw said in an email that the school will instead hold online classes until March 27

The administrators of St. John's University told students living in on-campus dormitories to return to their homes as they are temporarily suspending in-person classes following the rise of COVID-19 cases.

In an email sent by President Dr. Conrado “Bobby Gempesaw to his students, the University's Queens campus will instead hold online classes effective Tuesday until March 27, said the New York Post.

The email added that it was was out of “an abundance of caution” that they have decided to suspend “face-to-face instruction” as a conscious effort to keep their community healthy and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Twenty-six people have now died in the United States after contracting COVID-19
Twenty-six people have now died in the United States after contracting COVID-19 AFP / Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS

Students who are housed on campus will have until Wednesday to vacate their dorms, although those who cannot go home will be allowed to stay in the residence halls, said ABC 14 News.

The news on the suspension came in at a right time as students were returning from Spring Break.

St. John's University, Princeton University, Fordham University and New York University are among those who have prompted to go with online classes as a safety precaution to prevent the spread of the virus in their respective campuses.

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