Northwest University (NU) announced it will be transitioning to online learning effective March 9.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Kirkland, several businesses and schools have been monitoring the situation and how it pertains to them.

“Our approach since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak has been to follow the directives of Public Health — Seattle & King County,” NU President Joseph Castleberry said in a release.

As of March 9, all face-to-face classes (traditional undergraduate, adult evening and graduate) have moved to remote teaching. Face-to-face classes will resume on April 6 if circumstances allow.

Residence halls and food services will remain open as usual. University offices will remain open as well. Employees should check with their supervisors about whether they can work from home. The NU senior leadership team will work with supervisors to determine which employees are eligible for telecommuting.

Students will receive instructions from each of their professors about how they will conduct classes. Students who become ill should inform their professors and the wellness center (wellnesscenter@northwestu.edu). If NU community members test positive for the coronavirus, they should notify the wellness center.

“We want to be able to offer the best possible service to anyone who needs special attention,” Castleberry said in the release.

Commencement exercises are scheduled for May 9.

“We will announce a decision about how we plan to follow through with honoring graduates as the situation emerges, keeping in mind that families would need time to make travel plans,” Castleberry said. “Similarly, we will announce decisions about travel plans for student groups by the latter part of April.”