photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World File Photo

Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus is shown on Sept. 13, 2018.

The University of Kansas announced Wednesday that it would extend the campus’ spring break and asked faculty members to prepare online learning materials during the break to preempt rapidly growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the United States.

In a campuswide announcement, Chancellor Douglas Girod and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer announced that beginning March 23, courses would be taught using an online learning model. The need for online learning will then be evaluated on a weekly basis starting March 28.

“This approach limits in-person exposure after spring break to align with the estimated COVID-19 incubation period, and allows faculty members a modest amount of time to prepare and begin the transition to online instruction,” the joint statement read.

Despite in-person courses being effectively canceled, the KU campus will remain open. It’s important, Girod and Bichelmeyer said, to keep operating normally to continue providing services to students, faculty and staff.

The announcement asked students not to return to campus if they are sick, have a chronic health condition that puts them at greater risk of getting COVID-19 or have traveled internationally or domestically to areas with coronavirus outbreaks.

The announcement also announced the discontinuation of all university-sponsored travel to both domestic and international locations, except for travel in the state of Kansas and Missouri.

Future university events will also be limited to an attendance of 50 people, the announcement said.

“This is a challenging time for our campus, our families and our community, and it is a time that may require additional bold measures,” the statement said.

KU’s cancellation of in-person courses makes it the 136th higher education to do so, according to a Forbes database. The move came the same day the World Health Organization designated the disease as a global pandemic. Also on Wednesday, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments — multimillion-dollar events both for the organization and the teams that play in it — would be played without fans.

The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China in late December, has infected over 125,000 people worldwide and over 1,100 people in the United States. Nearly 5,000 people have died from the virus worldwide, 32 of which were in the U.S., according to a database tracking system from Johns Hopkins University.

Going forward, emergency management teams for the Lawrence and KU Medical Center campuses will continue to monitor the situation on a global level to decide how to move forward at the university level.

The emergency management teams each consist of about 25 members who regularly meet, with more working behind the scenes on contingency plans within their own units, KU spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson told the Journal-World previously.

The Lawrence team includes representatives from Watkins Health Services, Student Affairs, Faculty Development, Public Affairs, Provost’s Office, KU Public Safety, Emergency Management, KU Housing, International Affairs, KU Information Technology, General Counsel, Kansas Athletics and Global Operations & Security.

Kansas, as of Wednesday morning, has confirmed one case of coronavirus and has conducted 41 negative tests for the virus, according to the state Department of Health and Environment.

Gov. Laura Kelly announced Saturday that a woman under the age of 50 had contracted the virus. On Monday, the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., announced the woman, who is from Johnson County, had been admitted for monitoring.