March 05, 2020 - 5:42 PM
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has implemented domestic and international travel requirements and restrictions to combat the spread of a new coronavirus strain.
The school has requested that its students, faculty and staff travelling to countries and states affected by the coronavirus self-quarantine themselves off campus for two weeks once they return, news outlets reported.
The decision comes days before spring break begins.
The school is prohibiting university-affiliated travel to countries the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given Level 3 travel warnings to such as China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz also said university-paid travel has been suspended to California, Florida and Washington, all of which have declared states of emergency related to coronavirus.
"We did not come to these decisions lightly," Guskiewicz said in a statement, adding that university officials want to “take responsible, proactive steps to help protect members of our campus community and mitigate the potential impact to our campus.”
UNC Chapel Hill is following in the footsteps of other universities such as Duke and NC State. UNC Wilmington cancelled its spring break study program in Europe over concerns about the coronavirus. UNC Chapel Hill also cancelled its spring 2020 semester study abroad program in Italy.
The school said CDC advisories are subject to change. They've asked students and staff to be mindful of any updated travel warning of other countries and states during spring break travel.
One person in North Carolina has tested positive for the virus.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020