Rider Recalls 1 Student, Suspends Travel Amid Coronavirus Fears

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Rider University has suspended all outbound University-sponsored travel to mainland China for students, faculty and staff until further notice and recalled one student from Italy in the wake of concerns surrounding coronavirus.

“The University continues to closely monitor the evolving worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19),” Rider University President Greg Dell’Omo said in a post on the university’s website. “The situation is changing quickly. Because the health and safety of each member of our community are of the utmost importance, we want to keep you informed about the virus and any impact it may have on our campuses. We are working with public health officials and monitoring guidelines and recommendations from public health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Department of State and New Jersey Department of Health.”

They also said they are in contact with their study abroad program partners across the world. Rider's Center for International Education (CIE) will continue to offer care and support to students whose study abroad plans may be affected by coronavirus. CIE is located in Bart Luedeke Center 124 and can be reached at 609-896-7717.

“With spring break approaching, we strongly encourage students, faculty and staff to heed official travel warnings and guidelines of reputable international and federal agencies, including the CDC, the U.S. State Department and the World Health Organization, and follow official recommendations for the prevention and treatment of illness,” Dell’Omo said. “In the meantime, we will continue Rider’s preparations and planning and will keep you informed about any impacts of coronavirus on our operations. We encourage you to visit our website at www.rider.edu/coronavirus, where we are posting updated information.”

There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Jersey as of Monday morning. Testing was done on one suspected coronavirus case in New Jersey, but results came back negative.

The suspected case in New Jersey also comes days after Nancy Messonnier, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, told reporters in a conference call the question is no longer if the coronavirus, now officially called COVID-19, will spread across the United States but when that will happen.

Communities, schools and businesses in New Jersey and elsewhere should begin preparing now for "the expectation that this could be bad," Messonnier said.

"I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now," she said. "You should think about what you would do for child care if schools or day cares closed."

To date, no one in New Jersey has tested positive for COVID-19. But state officials say they're preparing for a spread of the disease across the region.

So far in New Jersey, the Department of Health says it has been focused on ramping up preparedness efforts and coordination with hospital and local health departments since the end of January. The Department of Health's crisis management meets daily to monitor "this evolving situation," officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy issued a statement on Saturday, saying he spoke with Vice President Pence to discuss New Jersey's ongoing efforts to guard against the spread of novel coronavirus.

The vice president praised New Jersey for taking aggressive and proactive measures to combat the public health threat and reiterated that the Trump Administration stands ready to support New Jersey's efforts in this fight, according to the governor's office.

Murphy thanked the vice president for maintaining an open line of communication and pledged to work closely with the White House, Coronavirus Task Force, and CDC to combat the virus and "keep all New Jerseyans safe and healthy."