University of North Carolina to go fully remote with classes

The University of North Carolina made a big decision on Monday to switch to remote learning for the Fall semester after COVID-19 outbreak.

Well, it didn’t take long for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to reverse the plans and offer remote learning for the Fall Semester. It didn’t even take two weeks.

On Monday, the University announced that they will be moving undergraduate classes to fully remote for students beginning this Wednesday. The move comes after 130 students tested positive for COVID-19 on campus, an outbreak that UNC and every other university across the country is trying to avoid.  The university has reported 324 confirmed cases — 279 students and 45 staff members since February.

Students began the Fall Semester last week, moving onto campus in early August before beginning their classes on Monday.

The announcement was made shortly after there was an emergency faculty meeting to discuss the new plan. Following a consultation with state and local health officials, Carolina’s infectious disease experts, and the UNC System, the school decided to proceed with this new plan:

Students will be able to move back home with no penalty after moving into dorms, and many are expected to do so. But what does this mean for the student-athletes?

The Atlantic Coast Conference is set to play football in September and as it stands now, the Tar Heels plan on participating. The athletics department released a statement on Monday night to provide an update:

This will certainly be a situation to monitor at North Carolina as well as what could happen with other schools across the country.

For more on the University of North Carolina and the athletics department, please check back with Keeping It Heel.