COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina will extend spring break another week to ease risks of possibly spreading the coronavirus that has struck nine South Carolinians.

"In the interest of protecting our community and based on the best information available, extending spring break for a week and preventing the return to campus of 32,000 students at the same time is the best measured approach to prevent a high risk situation and is an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus," USC President Bob Caslen says in a message that will be shared with the campus Wednesday and obtained by The Post and Courier.

USC is considering following the lead of other colleges across the county that have stopped in-person classes and offered online instruction for a short period during the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus.

Clemson University asked students Tuesday to take laptops and books with them on spring break next week in case the school goes with online classes. College of Charleston is taking all classes online Thursday in a test.

USC is extending spring break that started Monday through March 20, according to Caslen's letter. No classes will be held and all campus events are canceled. The university will allow students to return to campus and keep dorms and food service open.

There are no changes to scheduled USC sports events, including the first two rounds of the NCAA women's basketball tournament that will be held at Colonial Life Arena will start March 20 or 21.

The university's extended break also lasts until Columbia's St. Pat's in Five Points festival that draws more than 30,000 revelers each year, many of them college students. The festival on March 21 is still being held, organizers said Tuesday. Gov. Henry McMaster has said the public should not change their routines as long they are healthy and follow proper hygiene.

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No positive coronavirus cases have been reported at USC and any other S.C. college campus, though a non-student at Clemson is on self-quarantine after being tested. Seven of South Carolina's nine positive cases have come in Camden. The other two cases are in Charleston and Spartanburg.

Caslen said he made the decision about extending spring break in consultation with a university taskforce, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But he did not consult with faculty, who now need to make changes to their classes, USC Faculty Senate Chair Mark Cooper said.

Professors have to adjust their class schedules with one less week in the semester and push to get students back into school work after two weeks off in what has been called an extended vacation, he said.

"We're like personal trainers. We make students work harder than they want to work," Cooper said. "This takes a little bit away from our ability to do that. We can't hold them accountable for this extra week off."

In his letter, Caslen said he is confident that that the school's plan will "provide us with the flexibility we need to plan our next steps." But the letter does not mention any specifics beyond the possibility of offering classes online.

A university spokesman did not respond to an email and telephone call Tuesday night.