UT-Austin Suspends Student China Travel Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

AUSTIN, TX — The University of Texas at Austin has banned undergraduates from traveling to China in light of a growing outbreak of the respiratory illness coronavirus in that country, school officials said Wednesday.

"As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to student and employee health, we are closely monitoring the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China through trusted authorities including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of State, Overseas Security Advisory Council, World Health Organization, International SOS, and our peers in the U.S. and around the world," UT-Austin officials wrote in a prepared statement provided to Patch.

Given an increase in confirmed cases, the university added China to its UT Restricted Regions list as a “High Risk” travel destination — joining Honduras, Nigeria and Pakistan. As a further precaution, the school — through its Texas Global unit promoting international study — implemented a number of measures:

• Undergraduate student travel to China is suspended. Texas Global will work with individual students currently planning to enroll in programs in China and their colleges and schools to either relocate their international experience to another country or attend classes in Austin.
• Faculty, staff and graduate student travel to China must be reviewed by the university’s International Oversight Committee’s Restricted Regions Review Committee. Until further notice, only essential travel to China will be considered for approval.
• Any approved travel will require an in-country safety plan and consent to follow protocols set by the university for return to campus.

"We are mindful of the impact this may have on members of our community," Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement/Chief International Officer Dr. Sonia Feigenbaum wrote in a press release. She encouraged students to reach out to UT Counseling and Mental Health Center or Student Emergency Services for support while directing to staff and faculty counseling services available through the HealthPoint Employee Assistance Program."

Students needing to access university travel resources and policies were directed to global.utexas.edu/risk or contact Randy Penson, Director of Global Risk and Safety, at rpenson@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 471-0341.

"Our top priority is to support the health, safety, and security of our community and remain vigilant during this evolving health crisis," Feigenbaum continued. "We are prepared to make adjustments to our approach as circumstances warrant and are hopeful that conditions will improve for our activities to resume in China."

The move comes one day after both Texas A&M University and the University of Houston suspended student travel to China.

While the suspension of travel may sound like an extreme measure potentially affecting many UT-Austin students, it actually impacts a low number of undergrads, university spokesman J.B. Bird explained in an email to Patch: "For security reasons, the university does not list the exact number of students on programs in specific countries, but I can tell you there are a relatively low number of undergraduates on UT study abroad programs in China this semester, less than 10 who will be affected," Bird wrote. "The university will work with them on a case-by-case basis to get them into programs in other countries or enroll them for the semester back here at UT Austin."

UT-Austin ranks among the top three universities in the U.S. as it relates to the number of its students studying abroad, the school note in a November 2019 press release. according to a 2019 Open Doors Report, UT-Austin ranks third in the nation in this respect.

Officials listed a number of safety tips to avoid getting coronavirus — the same advice given to prevent colds and flu — in the school's University Health Services portal as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Keep your hands clean. Carry alcohol-based hand sanitizer and use it often.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or sleeve. When you use a tissue, throw it in the trash immediately.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Don't eat, drink, or smoke after others.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick, especially if they have fever, cough, and/or a sore throat.
• Get sufficient sleep, exercise regularly, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious foods.

In the same portal, university officials advised students with fever and respiratory symptoms and who have had recent international travel or contact with an individual known to have the new coronavirus to not schedule a University Health Services appointment by calling or web booking. Instead, they should call the UHS Nurse Advice Line (512-475-6877) to get instructions before going to the department.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people; numerous other coronaviruses circulate among animals, including camels, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people and then spread between people such as has been seen with Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/index.html) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (https://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html), officials wrote on the agency's website.

For more coronavirus information, click here.