HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Some local community colleges have announced they will not hold their commencements in May as scheduled.
This includes students at Tidewater Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College.
Glenn Dubois, who is the chancellor for Virginia’s Community Colleges, announced the cancellation of spring commencement ceremonies on Tuesday, March 17. The cancellations are to limit the spread of coronavirus in Virginia.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have advised the public not to attend large gatherings to prevent community spread of COVID-19. Gov. Ralph Northam has also banned gatherings of 100 or more people across the Commonwealth.
Thousands of people in the United States have been infected with the disease, which causes respiratory issues. Northam announced that Virginia has 67 positive cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, March 17. Two Virginians on the Peninsula have died.
TCC has promised students that the institution will find an “alternate and safe way to honor” graduates. This could include rescheduling for the summer or a virtual commencement, according to a press release issued Tuesday, March 17.
“What’s difficult is that the very things that make commencement meaningful also makes them dangerous in this pandemic,” DuBois wrote in a statement, which can be read here. “While it’s a celebration of individual achievements, it’s a community celebration.”
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