Pima Community College announced Thursday evening that a variety of new measures are immediately implemented to “mitigate the impact of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 on students, visitors, and employees.”

In addition to extending Spring Break an extra two days, to March 25, the college announced that in-person classes will move to virtual instruction whenever possible. Courses requiring hands-on learning will continue in person 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. After two weeks the College will reassess when to return to normal operations,” the college said in a statement announcing the change.

All non-essential college travel has been canceled or postponed until further notice. All non-essential events through April 30 have also been postponed or canceled.

College Provost Dolores Duran-Cerda also 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.