Amid novel coronavirus fears and rising case numbers, Gov. Jay Inslee announced restrictions on in-person classes Friday afternoon for Washington colleges through April 24.

Inslee's proclamation prohibits "all public and private universities, colleges, technical schools, apprenticeship programs, and similar schools and programs from conducting in-person classes in all counties of Washington State."

"We have a clear and present danger of epic proportions in the state of Washington," Inslee said in a press conference Friday.

This means the UW won't have in-person classes for about four weeks when spring quarter starts March 30. This includes all public and private colleges and universities in the state. UW students have already been studying remotely for a week and are preparing for final exams as they are moved online or simply canceled.

President Ana Mari Cauce said the decision came a few days before the UW was planning to make a decision on the format of spring quarter, but it aligned with its contingency planning. She added the university will give more detailed instructions about the beginning of next quarter by March 20.

"We encourage supervisors to continue to provide telework options to employees, including student employees, whose job duties can be performed remotely without hampering operations, through April 24," Cauce said.

The governor informed the university he was going to announce this action shortly before his Friday afternoon press conference, according to UW spokesperson Victor Balta.

Some professors at the UW have already been preparing for the possibility of an all-online spring quarter.

"There's no way to know for sure, of course, but I doubt the rate of new infections drops precipitously in the next three weeks,” political science professor Mark Smith said earlier this week. “I'd love to be proven wrong.”

This decision from the governor follows the announcement of closures on all K-12 schools across the state, which won’t be meeting for classes on the same timeline.

The move comes after new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which said short-term closures of schools may not have much of an impact on the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC said longer-term closures, such as those lasting eight to 20 weeks, could curb the virus, but hand washing and home isolation have more of an effect.

Inslee also said laboratory and clinical work at universities can continue if team members are separated by at least six feet following social distancing guidance from health officials.

The governor is permitting colleges to continue use of dorms and food service, also.

He also announced a ban on all gatherings of more than 250 people as the state ramps up its efforts to blunt the spread of a virus that now has over 500 cases in the state.

“I’m not sure we’ve ever faced this since the 1918 Spanish flu,” Inslee said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Reach News Editor Jake Goldstein-Street at news@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet

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