Kent State announces travel restriction to China

This+illustration%2C+created+at+the+Centers+for+Disease+Control+and+Prevention+%28CDC%29%2C+reveals+ultrastructural+morphology+exhibited+by+coronaviruses.+Note+the+spikes+that+adorn+the+outer+surface+of+the+virus%2C+which+impart+the+look+of+a+corona+surrounding+the+virion%2C+when+viewed+electron+microscopically.+A+novel+coronavirus+virus+was+identified+as+the+cause+of+an+outbreak+of+respiratory+illness+first+detected+in+Wuhan%2C+China+in+2019.

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019.

Kent State announced Monday a temporary restriction on university-sponsored travel to China because of the 2019 novel coronavirus. 

In an email sent to the Kent community, interim Senior Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley wrote that the university would restrict travel to China “in consideration of this emerging global health issue and out of an abundance of caution.”

The restriction will remain in place indefinitely, according to the email. Kent State will assess whether to allow university-sponsored trips to China planned for summer 2020 in March. 

“We will continue to update the university’s response via University Health Services, and we encourage anyone who has traveled to China in the past two weeks to contact the DeWeese Health Center or their preferred health provider for resources and assistance,” Tankersley wrote. 

The 2019 novel coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China. According to the Associated Press, it has killed more than 300 people and infected more than 14,550 worldwide.  

Contact Paige Bennett at [email protected].