Temple to go virtual for the rest of the fall semester amid COVID-19 outbreak

• Aaron Moselle/WHYY
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  Aaron Moselle is a general assignment reporter for NewsWorks, filing stories for both web and radio.
  While you can find him at the courthouse or a school funding rally, he also spends a good chunk of his time writing about issues in Northwest Philadelphia, where he was born and raised. (Yes. Mount Airy is part of the city.)
  Before arriving at WHYY in 2010, Aaron was a freelance writer for a collection of community newspapers and alternative weeklies.
  He still can't get over the fact that he can walk to so many sights and sounds from his home base in South Philly.

 Matt Rourke / AP Photo

FILE PHOTO: Flags wave in the wind from a building on the at Temple University campus in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.

(Philadelphia) — In the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, Temple University has canceled nearly all of its in-person classes for the remainder of the fall semester.

In a message sent to students and staff on Thursday, university president Richard Englert said most classes — an estimated 95% — will be conducted online instead.

Some essential in-person teaching will continue, including classes that are part of the school’s physical therapy and nursing programs.

“We will continue to work together as a community to ensure that students receive the quality education they expect from Temple and continue progress toward their degree,” said Englert.

Students living in university housing can opt to return home to complete their courses, according to the announcement. If they leave by Sept. 13, the school will fully refund their room and board for the fall semester.

Students who “want or need to remain on campus” can stay.

“Those students are welcome to remain, and we will make available the academic and other support services and activities that you need to succeed, including Temple’s high-quality health services,” said Englert.

On Sunday, the university announced that classes would be held online for two weeks.

But as of Wednesday,  the university reported 212 active cases of COVID-19. All but one was designated as “on-campus.”

Between Friday and Sunday, active cases rose from 50 to 100. Between Sunday and Wednesday, that total eclipsed 200.

WHYY is the leading public media station serving the Philadelphia region, including Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. This story originally appeared on WHYY.org.

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