CMU tells students, employees not to travel to China
Coronavirus outbreak spurs campus warning
Carnegie Mellon University is telling its students and employees not to travel to China, joining a number of campuses in Pennsylvania and elsewhere doing so amid escalating federal warnings about the deadly coronavirus outbreak in that country.
A message sent to campus Sunday afternoon follows similar notices delivered Friday by the University of Pittsburgh and a day earlier by Penn State University.
As with those earlier messages, the note from Carnegie Mellon leaders cited State Department guidance against travel there and a declaration by the Trump administration of a public health emergency that bars entry to the U.S. by foreign nationals traveling from China.
The note to campus was from James Garrett Jr., Carnegie Mellon provost, and Gina Casalegno, dean of students and vice president for student affairs.
“This restriction applies only to those traveling to China for university purposes,” they wrote. “However, we strongly recommend that those who are planning travel to China for personal reasons reconsider such plans.”
They asked anyone who has traveled to China within the past 14 days to self-isolate, staying at home and away from classes, work sites, labs or study groups.
“If you are planning to host visitors from impacted regions in the coming weeks and months, we strongly suggest you consider rescheduling to a later date and discuss your decision with your supervisors or department heads immediately,” their note read.
Nationwide, about 370,000 students from China in the U.S. account for a third of all international enrollment, and student and faculty travel between China and the U.S. is an important part of the scholarship and research by both countries. Among leading host states for international students, Pennsylvania has the second-highest share of students from that country, accounting for 43% of all foreign enrollment.
Elsewhere, Northwestern University is among the schools suspending travel to China, as has the University of California system except for trips deemed essential. New York University says it presumes such trips involving its community have been canceled in line with federal warnings and noted that spring classes on its Shanghai campus are delayed until Feb. 17.
The virus, whose epicenter is in and near Wuhan, China, had claimed 362 lives by the weekend, all but one in China with the other in the Philippines. The overwhelming majority of 17,000plus cases were in mainland China as of Monday morning.
U.S. schools that have either barred travel or opted not to do so at this point stressed the importance of not overreacting to a risk of infection still considered low in this country.
“We also take this opportunity to remind you that, while the vast majority of the infections have occurred in Wuhan, China, we must not stigmatize anyone in our community based on national origin,’’ read a statement issued over the weekend by the University of California at Los Angeles. “Someone who has a cough or a fever does not necessarily have coronavirus.”
Similar sentiments were expressed by Carnegie Mellon officials.
“This is a difficult time for some in our community, and our hearts go out to all those who have been affected, directly and indirectly,” the note said. “We need to support those who may be going through a period of high stress. Let’s be thoughtful and caring and support one another in fostering a healthy university community for all.”
Officials said alternative housing would be provided for anyone in that situation, though officials have stressed they have seen no suspected cases on campus or in Pennsylvania.