Coronavirus: UC Irvine cancels graduation amid pandemic

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- School officials announced UC Irvine will cancel its graduation ceremony in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The commencement ceremonies, which were scheduled for June, were canceled as a precaution.

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The school said it is looking for other ways to celebrate its graduates.

So far, UC Irvine is the first school in the UC system to cancel graduation due to the coronavirus.

The school made the announcement in a news release on Friday, which said, in part:

"We are saddened to share that the UCI Commencement Ceremonies will not take place in the same way as previous years. We advise families not to make arrangements to come to the campus for the Commencement celebrations. We are actively looking at alternatives to celebrate our graduates in an appropriate manner. We understand that commencement is an important part of the UCI experience and we want to honor our students while still keeping our community safe. Graduating students should look for a separate message from the UCI Commencement office with details and information in the coming weeks.

Given the dynamic nature of travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, we advise students leaving campus for spring break that they take along any course materials they would need to keep up with classes that are being taught remotely from an off-campus location. We strongly advise students to refrain from non-essential travel during spring break."