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Rutgers restricts travel to China due to coronavirus outbreak

Study abroad programs, conferences, internships, research and athletic competitions in China will all be affected by the travel restriction. – Photo by GoodFreePhotos

Rutgers University will restrict students, faculty and staff from traveling to China for university business due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, according to a recent email from Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs Dr. Vicente Gracias. The restriction affects study abroad programs, conferences, internships, research and athletic competitions.

The restriction is in response to the recent Warning Level 3 Travel Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which discourages nonessential travel to China, according to the email.

“While there are no suspected cases of coronavirus at Rutgers, and the CDC currently considers the spread of the virus within the United States to be of low-risk, Rutgers clinical providers and our student health services teams have already put measures into place to screen symptoms and establish safeguards in the event that a Rutgers community member is identified with the virus,” Gracias said in the email. 

Students planning on traveling to Asia over spring break or summer vacation should follow the CDC’s travel recommendations for the countries they are traveling to, said Dr. Debra Chew, an assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a former epidemic intelligence officer for the CDC.

“It's hard to project at this point how the outbreak will evolve and if the outbreak in China and other countries in Asia will be contained by then,” she said.

The Daily Targum previously reported the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has affected approximately 4,500 people and caused 100 deaths within China as of Jan. 29. 

Five cases have been confirmed in the United States, the Targum reported. The risk of coronavirus in the United States remains low, according to the email.

“It's natural for there to be a lot of hype with any novel, emerging infectious threat. But as I've said, the risk to the American public is low at this point,” Chew said. “We live in an era of global travel, so the risk is never zero and the spread of cases is continually expanding. The CDC, World Health Organization and Chinese officials are actively updating us on the outbreak so we can respond as best we can.”

The University remains in close contact with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) and the CDC regarding the coronavirus outbreak, Gracias said.

Rutgers has also launched a webpage for information on the virus, the University’s preparations and guidance that will help address concerns, according to the email. The Rutgers New Jersey Poison Information and Education System will also serve as the NJDOH’s coronavirus call center.

To prevent the spread of the virus, Gracias said he recommends students and staff cover coughs and sneezes, wash their hands regularly and clean commonly touched surfaces often.

While common on campus, face masks, Chew said, are not recommended for the general public to prevent exposure to the coronavirus.

“There is no evidence they are effective, and CDC is not currently recommending masks for travelers,” Chew said. “Also, masks need to be worn properly and consistently. The best preventive measure right now is to practice good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene when coughing or sneezing.”

Gracias also said that students and staff should receive a flu shot to lessen the spread of influenza and prevent confusion between flu and coronavirus symptoms. Chew said the symptoms of these two illnesses can be similar. 

“The key is being able to assess and triage appropriately for both even though the risk of flu is much, much higher in the midst of a very active flu season,” she said. “Obviously they both present similar clinically, with respiratory symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath, fever and sometimes pneumonia. For the (novel coronavirus), the key is obtaining a good travel history with recent exposure to travel to China or someone ill with suspected or confirmed (novel coronavirus) and to follow CDC's screening criteria.”


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