UNC announced a significant reduction in campus operations on Tuesday, following the direction of the UNC System to limit on-campus housing and dining services.

The announcement followed the University of North Carolina System decision to reduce the number of students on campus at all its various institutions in increased efforts to mitigate the ongoing spread of COVID-19. UNC also received its first positive novel coronavirus case on Tuesday, as an employee tested positive.

UNC’s residence halls and Granville Towers will be closed to all residents for the rest of the academic year, with a few exceptions that must be granted by a special circumstances waiver. The university encouraged students to begin moving out as soon as possible but put a deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20, to be fully moved out. A scheduled for those currently away from campus will be made available soon, with guidance coming directly from Campus Housing, according to the release.

Those who need to remain on campus due to special circumstances will have the ability to apply for a waiver, which will be granted upon the confirmation of no other practice alternative and the completion of an appropriate health screening.

The university had previously extended spring break and announced preparation to move to online instruction of courses in order to address the ongoing spread of the new virus. Campus was initially kept operational for students reliant on residence halls and campus dining operations, but an email from university leadership over the weekend strongly encouraged students to remain away from campus is possible.

According to the release, Carolina Dining Services will be limited to take out options and dining operations will be reduced to limited locations during the period, offering only meals to those residents granted special circumstances waivers.

UNC said its Campus Health services will remain open on a limited basis, requesting people to call before going to the office in person. Additional facilities, like UNC Libraries, Campus Recreation, Carolina Union and classroom buildings, will be closed.

The unversity said any decisions regarding potential refunds to students over housing or dining fees will be made by the UNC System at a later date. The release said the target date is April 1 or a time after all the universities are “beyond the immediate challenges being faced regarding the spread of COVID-19.”

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz tweeted out a link to his message, addressing the difficulties the last few weeks have presented to the campus community.

“This is not the Carolina experience we wanted for this semester, especially for our graduating seniors and graduate students,” wrote Guskiewicz. “We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we make decisions for the health, safety and well-being of our community. Please stay safe and make it a point to stay informed on a daily basis. We will provide updates on a regular basis.”

For additional information about the steps UNC is taking to protect the health and safety of the campus community, visit the university’s dedicated web page for the virus.

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