As COVID-19 cases at Binghamton University and the surrounding area continue to rise, local leaders are taking preventative steps. The SUNY chancellor and university president announced a pause on in person classes.

"We're at a level right now that is alarming and concerning people," said SUNY Binghamton President Harvey Stenger.

Binghamton is the latest SUNY college to make classes virtual. The online instruction will last two weeks, starting Thursday. On Wednesday afternoon the University had 89 of the 100 cases that would force it to go remote.

"It’s not we're going to wait for two weeks and then look at the data. We're going to look at the data every day,” Stenger said. “And we're going to make adjustments, and what we're doing, what messages we're sending out, cause we want to continue to see that percent positivity decreasing over the next 14 days.”

The campus will still be open along with residence halls. Student services like counseling and healthcare will also still be available. Dining halls will switch to take out and delivery, while sports and clubs are suspended.

"This is not the time though to be doing things that are in violation of a code of conduct when we have a virus that's still going through our communities. That's why we have enhanced our compliance, we are cracking down on parties, and gatherings," said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras.

Officials say it's important that students don't shoulder the blame.

"We have to get beyond the divisiveness of the college, the community, who infected who,” Malatras said. “There's COVID. It exists in our society. We have to collectively work together and lift each other up and try to contain the virus. It's that simple.”

The university will increase their testing from 200 tests per day a day to 800 per day. They are asking students to limit their travel to essential places.

The Binghamton University COVID-19 dashboard can be viewed here.