THE New York state has suspended classes in schools and colleges as the number of coronavirus cases in the state jumped on Sunday (8) to 106 and a state of emergency has been declared.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday declared a state of emergency to help New York more quickly and effectively contain the spread of the virus.
The Columbia University announced that it is suspending classes on Monday (9) and Tuesday (10) after a member of the Columbia community was quarantined as a result of exposure to the Coronavirus.
"This suspension of activities will allow us to prepare to shift to remote classes for the remainder of the week. I want to emphasize that the individual who has been quarantined has not been diagnosed at this point with the virus," Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said in a statement.
"All non-classroom activities, including research, will continue in accordance with the new travel and events restrictions announced recently. At this point, just to restate what is important to know, we do not have a confirmed case of the virus on campus. This action is intended to prevent the virus from spreading,” he said.
The school district of Scarsdale, a New York City suburb in Westchester County, also announced it is closing all district schools from March 9-18 after a faculty member at the Middle School tested positive for COVID-19.
Several multi-national corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Google were encouraging employees in the Seattle area to work from home due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Washington State.
The virus has now spread to 100 countries, with nearly 109,800 cases of infection and about 3,825 deaths.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event