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Pima Community College is extending next week's spring break for two days, and shifting in-person classes to virtual instruction whenever possible, officials said Thursday.

All non-essential PCC and community events on Pima campuses will be canceled or postponed until further notice.

Courses will resume March 25, following the March 16-22 break plus another two days, with as many classes as possible moving online.

"Courses requiring 'hands-on" instruction, including technical courses and healthcare clinical training, will continue in person, as scheduled until further notice. Courses that cannot be transitioned to a virtual environment, such as labs and hands-on training will also continue to be taught face to face," said college spokeswoman Libby Howell.

"After two weeks the college will reassess when to return to normal operations," she said.

The college will remain fully staffed during spring break and afterwards. Faculty will have access to resource centers and students can work with the library to ease the transition of virtual instruction, she said.

All non-essential travel will be canceled or postponed, with all PCC travel limited to within the state of Arizona.

From Howell:

Earlier this week, PCC Provost Dolores Duran-Cerda asked faculty to loosen attendance requirements for ill students, and to encourage students to stay at home if they feel sick. Additionally, the college has implemented increased measures to daily clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces such as desks and chairs, door knobs, stair railings, and crash bars.

Wednesday and Thursday, other schools also announced moves to online classes whenever possible; all three state universities — UA, ASU and NAU — have delayed classes and are moving to online courses because of COVID-19.

The University of Arizona announced Thursday night that it will delay the start of classes after spring break, and move to online instruction.

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