Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, as well as the spread of the disease to other countries including two cases in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have classified China as a Level 3 warning destination and the U.S. State Department has classified it with a Level 4 travel advisory, recommending that individuals avoid all travel to the country. As a result, U-M has placed China under a travel restriction.
Under the restriction, U-M graduate students may only travel to China for compelling and extenuating circumstances, as well as with an approved safety plan from the International Travel Oversight Committee which ensures they are aware of the health risks, have developed strategies to stay safe, and are prepared to shelter in place should China impose additional travel restrictions. Safety Plans are very likely to be denied, and all university-related and personal travel to China for students, faculty, and staff is discouraged.
In the wake of a World Health Organization declaration stating 2019-nCoV represents a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the White House has declared it a public health emergency in the United States. As a result, any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in China’s Hubei Province in the previous 14 days will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they are provided proper medical care and health screening and any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in the rest of Mainland China within the previous 14 days will undergo proactive entry health screening at a select number of ports of entry and up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk. Additionally, there is a temporary suspension of entry into the U.S. for foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the 2019 novel coronavirus. Foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China within the last 14 days, will be denied entry into the U.S. for this time.
Of the four potential cases in southeast Michigan that were recently submitted for testing, three have come back negative for the virus, with results still pending for the fourth. Anyone who develops fever and respiratory symptoms within 14 days of travel to Wuhan, China, should contact a medical provider and mention the recent travel or contact. The university has convened an expert team to monitor the situation as it evolves in collaboration with local and state public health officials.
Read the full story in the University Record.
For more information on travel to China, visit Global Michigan.
For up-to-date information on the outbreak and what you can do, visit U-M Public Affairs.