San Jacinto College cancels class next week amid coronavirus concerns

San Jacinto College is the latest local higher education institution to cancel classes amid coronavirus concerns.

According to a statement released March 13 at 10 a.m. on the college's website, the college—which has campuses in Pasadena, Houston and La Porte—will not have classes March 16-20 to allow staff to prepare for providing online classes and services. The college also wants to follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for "social distancing."

Students should not report in person to class, but they should check the college's Blackboard system March 29 for more instructions from their professors, the statement reads.

The child care centers at the central and north campuses will be the only college facilities that remain open to students and visitors next week.

Harris County Public Health and the Houston Health Department have declared a public health emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. At this time, there are no reported cases of the virus within San Jacinto College's community, and the Texas Department of State Health Services has listed the probability of community spread as low, according to the statement.

The college will release another update on the situation March 15 by 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.sanjac.edu/coronavirus.