March 12 Message to Campus: International Travel Updates

To Our Faculty, Staff and Students Traveling Abroad (Or Planning to Do So Soon):

We want to make sure our entire campus community is aware of three major developments over the past 24 hours:

In light of this news, we strongly recommend that those of you who are abroad return to the U.S. as soon as possible, and that those planning to travel overseas seriously reconsider leaving this country

As the World Health Organization’s director noted Thursday in classifying COVID-19 as a pandemic:

“In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has tripled.  

"There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost lives.”

President Trump’s order—which takes effect at midnight Friday, March 13—exempts those traveling from the United Kingdom. It also does not apply to legal permanent residents and immediate family members.

While a lack of clarity now exists regarding federal health precautions required of those arriving in the U.S., recent events indicate more severe travel restrictions are highly likely in the future.

As a reminder, per the Feb. 1 protocol (updated Feb. 26), those returning from a Level 3 country are required to submit this form at least three days before returning to campus.

We realize this information is deeply concerning, and wish this outbreak did not require such major disruptions to your plans. We will continue to update you as we receive additional information.

Carolyn Gregory
Vice President of Human Resources

Sara Lee, MD
Executive Director of University Health and Counseling Services