School Closures in New Jersey Due to Coronavirus Leaves Students With Limited Choices
School Closures in New Jersey Due to Coronavirus Leaves Students with Limited Choices
By: Paul Lopez
March 11th, 2020
New Brunswick, NJ — The Coronavirus wreaks havoc on the livelihoods of students and professors alike in New Jersey as the threat of mass infection causes public schools and universities to close and cancel face-to-face class sessions.
Many universities like Rutgers University, Princeton University, and Monmouth University have commenced closing down their classrooms and halls leaving the campuses barren with the intention of holding online classes after spring break. Some schools have canceled classes earlier and extended spring break. Harvard University has taken drastic measures by telling students to move out of campus within five days of their announcement, leaving many international students and out-of-state students panicking.
The intention of closing schools due to the threat of spreading the virus isn’t ill-mannered, however, some measures need to be accounted for. The out-of-state and international students are being seen as outliers and have little information to go on when it comes to their relocation post closures. Domestic and international travel has started to have limitations placed on them due to people being scared of carrying and spreading the disease. This has been going on for a few weeks now and students are being given limited options due to having the school closure decision being declared so late into the coronavirus issue.
Every day in New Jersey, more and more cases have been made known to the public with already one death as a result of the coronavirus. This has driven fear into students and professors alike. The virus is said to primarily affect those with weaker immune systems including the elderly and people with underlying illnesses. Young adults and teenagers are susceptible to the disease with very minor effects. The effects of the virus can feel like the flu and they may get over it very quickly. However, because it seems like the regular flu, these young adults may become carriers for the virus and spread it around. This could mean that students may unknowingly become a threat to their older professors because they may become carriers. Even public schools with students from K-12 are affected as their schools are being closed as well. There are schools in New York that have already closed due to the virus as cases keep surging. With New York being such a large area and a hub for transportation, it was only a matter of time for schools in both states to close. This is why shutting schools down isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Again, the problem is how it is being handled. The virus is an unforeseen circumstance for the whole world, but New Jersey was only recently affected by it, with cases around the world already being identified for weeks. New Jersey has been preparing for such events; however, some schools are taking extreme measures like Harvard University. Harvard University’s sudden decision to force students to move out within a five-day period is a rash decision that affects many students greatly. This decision may be harsher than other school’s decisions as for example, Rutgers University has canceled face-to-face courses until April 3rd. The decision to continue in-person classes will be made by then.
Rutgers University, Monmouth University, and Princeton University had to make the hard decision to close classes, but they are also under harsh circumstances as they are telling students to prepare to go home and stay for a long period of time. Their international and out-of-state students are also being hindered by these decisions. However, I do believe these schools handled it slightly better than Harvard. They aren’t making students completely move out within a few days.
There are many problems arising because of the virus, and students, teachers, and professors alike are all being affected by it. When schools will re-open, or if they even re-open at all is unknown at the moment.
