USCB cancels classes for a week to protect against coronavirus

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University of South Carolina Beaufort has extended its spring break by canceling classes next week as a precaution against the coronavirus.

The university is working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, officials said in a news release.

The cancellation March 16-21 affects all classes held in-person on Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island campuses.

All online classes will continue as scheduled, the release said.

Students are on spring break this week, and those away from campus “have been encouraged to not return to campus until notification that in-person classes will resume,” the release said. “However, university operations will remain open, including residence halls and dining services.”

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported nine cases of coronavirus in the state on Tuesday.

Seven people have presumptively tested positive for coronavirus, DHEC officials have said. Two additional cases have been confirmed by the CDC. None of the individuals is in Beaufort County.

About 2,100 students attend classes at the college’s three Beaufort County campuses, its website says.

This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 1:36 PM.