The American University in Cairo (AUC) said it will shift to online modes of instruction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a statement by the university read, as the outbreak continues to mount fears over its spread globally.
AUC announced it will move up its regularly scheduled spring break to begin Sunday, 15 March, instead of Sunday, 12 April, using the week-long break to “hone preparations to shift all possible instruction to online formats.”
It will also develop policies, technologies, and procedures to test new remote work arrangements for selected administrative staff, the statement read.
The university is expected to begin a two-week test of online instruction when classes recommence on Sunday, 22 March.
AUC said that it has no confirmed cases among its community, and that tests for a number of community staff with flu-like symptoms over the past week were proven negative.
“Nevertheless, the pandemic is spreading rapidly and globally. We must redouble our efforts both to prevent the spread of the virus and to slow it down if and when it does appear among us on either of our two campuses,” it said.
The statement comes as Egypt continues to detect new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 93.
Two cases detected in the country died: a 60-year-old Egyptian woman and a German tourist.
The virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last December, has so far infected over 144,000 people and killed more than 5,300 globally.
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