Penn suspends campus operations, COVID-19 testing Monday due to snowstorm

Penn suspended University operations for Monday as a snowstorm hits the Philadelphia area.

All classes will be held online, and all seven COVID-19 testing sites on campus will be closed, according to the Division of Public Safety's Sunday afternoon announcement. Select dining halls will remain open on Monday.

First year students and sophomores scheduled for COVID-19 screening tests on Monday will not be required to make up their canceled test, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Individuals who are required to be tested only once a week and had scheduled a test for Monday are asked to reschedule their COVID-19 test for later this week, Dubé added.

Only essential University workers and all University of Pennsylvania Health System staff and physicians are to report to work in person on Monday.

Penn Dining announced in an email Sunday night that Lauder College House, McClelland Express, and Houston Market will be closed on Monday. 

1920 Commons and Hill House will be open for brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Falk Dining Commons in Steinhardt Hall will be open for brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Starbucks and Gourmet Grocer will both be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Penn Bookstore and PennCard Center will also be closed Monday, Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in an email to the DP.

Penn previously closed all testing sites except Irvine Auditorium, Houston Hall, and Annenberg Center on Sunday morning due to inclement weather, before closing all testing sites Sunday evening.

DPS cited Winter Nor’easter Storm Orlena as the reason for the closure, which is expected to bring large amounts of snow to Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia issued a snow emergency beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday.