Harvard University announced this week that it is canceling its annual spring commencement ceremony as a precautionary measure against the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. Instead, the university will stream several virtual graduation ceremonies on May 28.

Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow announced on Friday that Harvard University will replace its scheduled commencement ceremony with several virtual online ceremonies that will take place on May 28. In a letter to students and faculty, Bacow said that the decision was made in response to guidance from public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So it is with an especially heavy heart that I write to inform you that our 369th Commencement Exercises, which would have taken place on Thursday, May 28, must be postponed. Given the advice we are receiving from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other public health officials, and our own faculty, who are among the world’s leaders in infectious disease, epidemiology, and virology, it is difficult to imagine how we could safely hold such a large gathering this spring. We recognize that people need to start making plans soon, so we thought it best to provide guidance now.

Bacow announced that Harvard will still host various commencement events on May 28. However, these events will be streamed online. Graduating students will be invited back to campus later in the year for an in-person graduation event.

No virtual gathering can possibly match the splendor of our usual festivities, but we will come together online on Thursday, May 28, to award degrees so that everyone will graduate as expected. Each School at Harvard will also host its own special online event and afterwards deliver diplomas through the mail. We plan to host an in-person celebration sometime later, once we know it is safe to bring people together again. By then, we will be eager not just to celebrate our graduating students, but also to recognize and acknowledge the sacrifices that so many have made to ensure the well-being of our community. We intend for this ceremony to have all of the pomp, circumstance, and tradition that is typical of a Harvard commencement—with as many of the traditional campus festivities that typically precede commencement as possible.

Harvard is not the first university to cancel its annual commencement ceremony. Breitbart News reported this week that universities and colleges around the country, including the University of Michigan and UC Irvine, have already canceled their scheduled commencement ceremonies.