CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York college campus that had temporarily switched to online classes because of the coronavirus is extending it for another two weeks, officials said Tuesday.
The State University of New York at Cortland said remote learning would now be in effect through November 3 at the campus south of Syracuse, New York. The initial switch from in-person classes had been announced on Oct. 5.
The state had set a threshold of 100 coronavirus cases as a trigger for remote learning for at least two weeks. SUNY Cortland hit that mark to necessitate the initial suspension, and had 166 new cases since Oct. 10, resulting in the need for the extension.
“In recent days we have begun to see a slight decline in new and active cases,” SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum said in a statement. “With an extension of study-in-place and the continued diligence of our students, faculty, staff, state and local health officials, and the SUNY system, we are optimistic that we will be able to contain the spread of the virus.”
The high number of cases at the college pushed the central New York region's positive test rate for COVID-19 up to 2.1% Monday, the highest in the state. During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the high rate was relates to a spike in cases in Cortland.
