Ohio State restricted university-sponsored travel to China starting Thursday through March 6 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Credit: Amal Saeed | Photo Editor
Ohio State is temporarily restricting university-sponsored travel to China for all faculty, staff and students effective immediately through March 6 in light of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a universitywide email.
The restrictions are in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State, according to the email.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Ohio State is sharing new restrictions on travel in alignment with this guidance and reporting requirements to proactively protect the health and well-being of our community,” the university email reads.
The disease originated in Wuhan, China, according to the CDC website. According to the World Health Organization, there were 6,065 global cases as of Wednesday.
Of the 6,065 cases, 5,997 are in China, according to WHO, and 132 of the Chinese cases have resulted in death.
Although there are no confirmed cases in Ohio and “day-to-day” university behaviors are not changing, the university is restricting university-sponsored travel to China and will now require students, faculty and staff who personally travel to China to confidentially report it to the university, according to the email.
The university now requires anyone who traveled to China in the last 14 days to report to [email protected] within 24 hours of receiving the university email; anyone who is in China on university business or otherwise or has personal travel plans to China before March 6 to report within 24 hours of returning; and anyone who is being monitored by any public health agency for symptoms within 24 hours of notification.
According to the email, both the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State and Student Health Services have measures in place to screen symptoms and follow public health protocols in the event of an illness.
