Update on Coronavirus Impact on Spring Break Travel

Dear campus community,
 
We are closely watching the evolving news of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak locally and globally, and have been adhering to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advisories related to the virus. While this has been a global concern, particularly in Asia and Europe, we see the early reporting on how this virus is affecting us locally as well. Our Emergency Response Team is meeting regularly and on various conference calls with state Department of Health officials to stay ahead of the changing conditions. The following are the recent actions we’ve taken to keep the campus community safe.
 
Events and information are moving at a rapid pace that requires quick decision making. As Roger Williams University has learned with our ISI Florence, Italy study abroad program, the spread of the virus accelerated the CDC classification of Italy from a Level 1 to a Level 3 Travel Warning in less than one week, moving from a handful of cases a week ago to over 2,000 cases in Italy today. Our Florence students will return to their homes; they will not be returning to campus. In accordance with CDC guidelines, RWU is advising these students to self-quarantine for the recommended observation period and we have asked that they not have any personal contact with the campus or RWU community members until they’ve completed the self-quarantine period.
 
Due to such rapid change patterns that we are seeing abroad and newer CDC advisories on international student travel, RWU has decided to cancel all RWU-sponsored international travel programs during spring break. These have not been easy decisions to make, but we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and employees. We do not want to send students and faculty into an uncertain situation that can change in a matter of days or even hours. International travel is currently a fluid situation in which countries that have reported a low number of cases of the virus may suddenly experience a widespread outbreak and begin restricting travel or implementing quarantines.
 
As we react to the more urgent widespread outbreak for our community members abroad, we also now face at home the first presumptive cases reported in Rhode Island. It is understandable that there will be anxiety about its impact on our campuses and many questions will arise as each day passes. At the current time, it is critical to remember that the risk of exposure to COVID-19 remains low for our campus community. RWU is following the same practices and protocols for this as we do for preventing the spread of the common flu. We are advising students and employees who feel ill to stay home and to take preventive measures to limit the spread of flu and other similar viruses. These are personal measures that we should all do as our part for keeping our community healthy during flu season.
 
We will remain vigilant while continuing to operate and we will continue preparations for our readiness to respond to events as they transpire. As the situation continues to move quickly, we will be communicating more frequent updates with the campus community.
 
Sincerely,
Yannis
 
Yannis Miaoulis
President
Roger Williams University