TCU suspends student travel to China after coronavirus outbreak
More than five dozen TCU students will no longer travel to China in May because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, officials announced this week.
TCU officials said they have suspended student travel through August and faculty/staff travel through March.
“The health and safety of our students and faculty is of utmost importance,” according to a statement from TCU.
This affects 70 students and 11 faculty members who planned to participate in short-term programs in Asia in May. Designations for that trip included China, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Another three staff members and faculty had planned to travel to China as well to handle administrative responsibilities or research, according to the university.
And one student now studying abroad this semester in Shanghai is being relocated, officials said.
This virus was discovered on Dec. 31 in Wuhan, China. Since then, more than 8,000 coronavirus cases, most on mainland China, have been confirmed across the world, according to Chinese state media reports.
As a precaution, a handful of Texas colleges — including TCU, Texas A&M and UT in Austin — have suspended undergraduate travel to China.
Tarleton State University officials said they are monitoring the outbreak.
The respiratory illness known as 2019-nCoV is believed to have been transmitted from animals to people in December at a market in Wuhan, China. The virus comes with flu-like symptoms such as a cough, sore throat and fever. Anyone suspected of having the illness should seek immediate medical attention.
UT echoed sentiments similar to those voiced by TCU.
“Our top priority is to support the health, safety, and security of our community and remain vigilant during this evolving health crisis,” according to a statement by Sonia Feigenbaum, senior vice provost for global engagement/chief international officer at the college. “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.”
Recently, there were four suspected cases of the virus in Texas that included one student at Texas A&M University and another at Baylor University. All of the people ultimately tested negative for the disease, state officials have said.
A China travel advisory has been issued by the U.S. Department of State calling for anyone planning to travel to Wuhan or any part of China to reconsider.
DFW Airport is one of 20 airports where passengers are being screened for the virus. Passengers there are asked to fill out paperwork about whether they traveled to Wuhan and whether they feel sick. A non-touch thermometer also may be used to check for fever.
