During spring break, UGA students are traveling all over the country and in many cases, the world. With thousands of students returning to Athens, crowded environments such as university buses and lecture halls pose a real health risk if even a few students carry the non-symptomatic, highly contagious COVID-19 "Coronavirus."

So far, 55 colleges in the nation have provided an online curriculum for students, effective immediately, to minimize the spread of the virus. Colleges in the South that have taken this responsible preventative action include Rice U, Duke U, U of Florida, Vanderbilt U, Johns Hopkins U, and more.

According to the CDC, the virus spreads "mostly through person-to-person contact within about a 6-foot radius," where viral particles can spread through coughing and sneezing. The virus also lives active on surfaces for days.

This petition is not cause for "panic," but simply a request that UGA make the smart decision and ensure that students and the greater Athens community not be made vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.

This petition requests that UGA establish a remote curriculum by March 16, 2020 (the end of Spring Break) as an option for students.