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In Coronavirus Precaution, MU Temporarily Suspends In-Person Classes

The University of Missouri announced Wednesday, it will suspend all classes through March 15 as a precaution against coronavirus.

In the announcement, Chancellor Alexander Cartwright emphasized no student has tested positive for the virus and said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution.” The university said classes will be held remotely next week, and the plan is to resume in-person classes on March 30, after Mizzou's spring break.

Cartwright also announced the suspension of all university-related non-essential domestic and international travel through April 12. The university said small meetings and athletic events will continue. University spokesperson Christian Basi said Mizzou is not planning on closing dorms or other facilities.

Despite the suspension of classes, Cartwright said faculty and staff are expected to report to work as usual.

The announcement comes after a person who attended the same conference as a number of journalism students and faculty in New Orleans tested presumptively positive for COVID-19. The school of journalism directed those students and faculty to self-isolate.

Sebastián Martínez Valdivia was a health reporter at KBIA and is documentary filmmaker who focuses on access to care in rural and immigrant communities. A native Spanish speaker and lifelong Missouri resident, Sebastián is interested in the often overlooked and under-covered world of immigrant life in the rural midwest. He has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri and a master's degree in documentary journalism at the same institution. Aside from public health, his other interests include conservation, climate change and ecology.