UO professors write letter from Italy amid coronavirus fears

The educators wrote the letter to urge the campus to take further action.

The u of oh has cancelled the first three weeks of its spring term.

This is a brand new decision that three u of oh professors working in northern italy, had demanded yesterday in a letter.

Kezi 9 news reporter kennedy dendy joins us live in the studio.

Kennedy, you spoke to one of the writers of that letter...what did you learn?

Matt, renee, what was*clearly lined out in the letter is exactly the outcome that the three educators were hoping to see... and when i spoke to one of them over the phone today, i could tell that they had been*longing for their voices to be heard.

Dr. melissa graboyes, dr. alredo burlando and dr. eleonara redaelli wrote three main concerns: the first?

For an immediate switch to online classes.

Next to suspend all university- related travel... and lastly for large gatherings and meetings to be cancelled.

Graboyes, who is conducting research on malaria and other diseases...said that the spread of this virus can not be treated lightly.

"in italy, we went from, in the last 2 weeks, we went from 11 towns being quarantined to 11 million people being quarantined to an entire country being put on lockdown and that's unprecedented in modern history, modern global health history."

Graboyes said that the letter was sent...out of a*desire for the university to protect the campus community...because she knows just how dangerous this virus really is.

The decision to conduct the first three weeks of the spring term online was*just made about 2 hours ago.

Classes tomorrow and friday will continue as normal...but gatherings over 50 people are cancelled..

And finals?

Those will be offered