Tufts University President Tony Monaco announced tonight that students will get an extended spring break starting this weekend- and that classes will be taught online only starting March 25.

This extra time will provide students with opportunity to pack their residence hall rooms and depart campus by Monday, March 16 and faculty with additional planning time to move to distance learning.

Students can remain on campus if they might have problems "due to travel restrictions or other significant constraints."

Effective immediately, Tufts is banning all college-related travel basically anywhere. Also:

The University also strongly discourages all personal domestic and international travel by students, faculty, and staff, except for the purposes of students returning home.

Tufts joins Amherst, Harvard and MIT in moving to online-only education for the remainder of the spring semester.