Missouri State University is cancelling all university travel to China for now because of the novel Coronavirus. Officials said they’ll revisit the directive in mid-February. As of Wednesday, the disease had spread to 19 countries and terrorities worldwide with 6,152 confirmed cases and 132 deaths. There have been only five confirmed cases in the U.S.
In a letter sent to the MSU community, Jim Baker, vice president for research, economic development and international programs and Dr. Frederick Muegge, director of health and wellness services, said they made the decision after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated travel guidance for China. The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to all of that country.
According to MSU officials, the office of study away programs is in touch with known travelers. But they said student travel abroad during the spring semester is generally low. The letter states that MSU is currently assessing the status of university-sponsored spring break travel to China and the region.
Baker and Muegge said no one on the MSU campus has traveled to or returned from Wuhan, China in the last several weeks.
They said the Chinese New Year festivities planned on campus will be held “as we continue to celebrate cultural diversity on campus.”
