Students must leave campus by March 17 after Penn extends mandatory move-out by two days

Penn is extending the expected move-out date for all on-campus residents by two days.

President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett announced in an email to the Penn community on Thursday evening that students who are already on campus will now be expected to move out of their on-campus residences by March 17 at 8 p.m.

Gutmann and Pritchett originally announced in an email on Wednesday that students living on campus must move out by March 15 at 8 p.m.

The email also urged students not to return to campus to collect their belongings. This morning, Penn Residential Services sent an email to on-campus residents outlining new housing policies.

Residential Services, the Division of Public Safety, and the College Houses will secure the belongings of students living in the College Houses, Sansom Place, and University-recognized Greek houses who left campus for spring break. The University will contact students when they deem it is safe for students to retrieve their belongings, according to the email.

Gutmann and Pritchett also wrote tonight that "it is impossible to know" whether Commencement can be held this year, and that the University will update the community when they are able to make that determination. Commencement is currently scheduled for May 18.

Gutmann and Pritchett's email was sent hours after Pritchett urged students currently studying abroad in Europe to return home immediately.

Early Thursday afternoon, several Penn students received an email from Student Health Service alerting them that they may have been exposed to an individual with coronavirus. Director of Campus Health Ashlee Halbritter wrote that these students are at low risk and do not need to seek testing or self-quarantine.

"Eliminating large gatherings and creating social distancing are important steps to help prevent the spread of the virus," Gutmann and Pritchett wrote. "To achieve this, we want as few people on campus as possible."