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Coastal Alabama Community College officials announced Wednesday that all out-of-state, school-sponsored trips will be canceled because of COVID-19, or coronavirus, concerns.

“As previously stated, we still do not have any known cases in Alabama,” President Craig Pouncey said in a release. “However, I feel compelled to maintain a proactive approach and take additional steps to ensure the safety of all employees and students. Effective immediately, all out-of-state, school sponsored trips will be cancelled. This is a quickly evolving situation and the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff must come first. No trip or experience is worth compromising our number one priority, our students. We will be open to consider rescheduling trips at-a-later date.”

Pouncey said he’s also encouraging campus directors to minimize mass gatherings when possible.

“Our campuses intended use is by our students, therefore non-school related activities bring in unrelated exposure to our campuses,” he said.

Those students who live on campus and if they come in contact with or they they have been exposed to an infected, or suspected infected person, need to inform the director of housing and visit a local healthcare facility, Pouncey said.

If at any time we, as a college, are directed to close, all students must vacate the dorms.

“In the event of an extreme, emergency situation, Coastal Alabama Community College may request temporary alternative methods of delivering on-campus and off-campus instruction,” Pouncey said. “These alternate methods will be implemented for unforeseeable situations, such as natural disasters, inclement weather events or other extraordinary circumstances. Such adjustments, for the delivery of instruction, will be communicated to all of our students, faculty and staff through the College’s online learning management and emergency notification systems.”

The president also encouraged all to practice good, personal health habits as the spring break holiday nears.