Dear MU students,

The MU International Center is closely monitoring the outbreak of a novel (new) coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. We are monitoring this evolving situation with the MU Student Health Center. On Jan. 30, 2020, the U.S. Department of State raised the travel advisory for China to level four: do not travel due to the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, on Jan. 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel warning (level three) recommending that travelers avoid all unnecessary travel to China. To date, cases of coronavirus in other countries have all been connected to individuals who had recently travel from Wuhan.

In accordance with the MU Student International Travel Policy, university-sponsored student travel to China is prohibited at this time.

Due to the fact that it is flu and respiratory disease season, the CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine and taking flu antivirals as prescribed. The CDC also recommends taking everyday, preventative actions to prevent the spread of flu and respiratory illness as follows:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces.

MU students abroad are advised to stay up to date with the CDC’s travel health notices related to this outbreak and to monitor alerts from AlertTraveler, MU’s security software, information from national and international news sources, and national and international health alerts.

We will continue to monitor information from the CDC, World Health Organization, U.S. Department of State, World Aware (AlertTraveler) and other resources, and will provide updates as more information becomes available.