In the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, Tufts University, Middlebury College, and New York University are considering how to donate their dorms and other buildings to local hospitals in case of a surge in patients.
If the spread of the new coronavirus in the United States isn’t controlled, the number of Covid-19 patients needing hospital care is expected to far outstrip the number of available beds, according to a recent estimate from researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute. Meanwhile, colleges have sent hundreds of thousands of students home from their residence halls in an attempt to reduce the number of students living in close proximity.
Image: Beginning on March 25, all Tufts U. instruction will be conducted virtually for the remainder of the semester; its president has called on colleges to offer their dorms to serve their communities, if needed.
