Norris University Center will be closed from March 21 through April 7, according to an email obtained by The Daily.

“Adhering to the Stay at Home order from Governor Pritzker, Norris is shifting our facilities to a limited essential personnel operation,” student employees were told in the email.

The building closure comes after six confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on the University’s Evanston campus, including four staff members associated with the Kellogg School of Management’s Global Hub. On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced all Illinois residents are to “shelter in place,” starting this past Saturday at 5 p.m. Residents are mandated to stay in their homes and stop nonessential travel through April 7.

Norris had been identified as a vaccination point for Evanston in the University and city’s pandemic plan. If necessary, Norris would reopen according to that plan, University spokesperson Jon Yates said in an email.

Within Compass Group’s pandemic plan, if a dining center were taken offline, a different dining center would open. If all four dining centers had to close for whatever reason, Norris would reopen and function as a dining center, according to Yates.

As for students who worked at Norris, optional remote training and development programs are being created for all building employees who wish to participate, according to Yates. Students will be paid for the hours they work through those training sessions, as well as for the time spent completing their mid-year evaluations, Yates added.

Remote work for student employees is being identified on a case-by-case basis, Yates said.

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Twitter: @PamesJollard