WASHINGTON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow said Tuesday that he and his wife, Adele Bacow, both tested positive for the coronavirus.

"We started experiencing symptoms on Sunday -- first coughs then fevers, chills, and muscle aches -- and contacted our doctors on Monday," Bacow said in a statement to the Harvard community.

"We were tested yesterday and just received the results a few minutes ago," he said.

Bacow said he didn't know how they contracted the disease. "Far fewer people crossed our paths recently than is usually the case," he said.

The couple both began working from home on March 14. They will take a 14-day self-isolation.

"I am blessed with a great team, and many of my colleagues will be taking on more responsibility over the next few weeks as Adele and I focus on just getting healthy," he added.

Earlier this month, Harvard asked students to move out of their dorms by March 15 to reduce the density of the community amid the coronavirus pandemic.