President Donald Trump is temporarily waiving interest on all federal student loans amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The president announced the executive decision during a White House press conference Friday. The waiver will be in place “until further notice,” Trump said.

“That’s a big thing for a lot of students who are left in the middle right now. A lot of schools have been closed,” Trump said. 

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has spread to over 100 countries, infected over 130,000 people and killed nearly 5,000. There are currently 421 confirmed cases of the virus in New York state, none of which are in Onondaga County. Trump in his speech declared the virus’ outbreak a national emergency.

Syracuse University announced Tuesday that it will suspend on-campus classes and transition to online learning through at least March 30. Students who leave campus for spring break are not allowed to return until residential classes resume.

SU’s transition to virtual learning has prompted questions from students about how the online courses will operate and whether SU will provide refunds for time spent away from campus.

The university will evaluate the situation related to COVID-19 over the coming weeks to determine whether to resume on-campus classes or continue online. SU is one of several colleges and universities across the country to switch to online classes amid the spread of the virus. 

Cornell and Georgetown universities have suspended on-campus classes for the remainder of the semester. The University of California, Berkeley, moved classes online Tuesday until the end of its spring break on March 29. SUNY-ESF, which neighbors SU, will begin online instruction March 23 until further notice.

Published on March 13, 2020 at 8:58 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu