Brandeis University will comply with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s request for schools, colleges and universities to cancel international travel by groups of students planned between now and April 30, according to an email sent by the Brandeis Health Center on March 5. The university will reevaluate the situation at the end of April and issue another address if the ban is extended, the email said.
As stated in the Health Center’s email, Brandeis is “discouraging students from traveling internationally for Passover and Spring Recess (April 8 through 16), due to concerns over potential difficulties returning to the U.S.” Residence halls and dining services will be operational during the spring break for students who stay on campus.
Students who are currently studying abroad are not affected, but Brandeis will continue to monitor the Coronavirus Disease 2019’s (COVID-19) spread. According to a previous Hoot article, Brandeis has placed travel restrictions to China and South Korea and has since extended the restriction to Iran and Italy for official university business, according to a March 1 email by Provost Lisa Lynch.
On March 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated information for travelers coming to the United States from Iran, Italy and South Korea. The CDC recommends travelers to “stay home from school and work for a period of 14 days” and to practice “social distancing,” including strategies such as tracking temperature, avoiding contact with others, not taking public transportation or attending crowded spaces and keeping a minimum distance of six feet from others.
“Brandeis expects all community members to comply with the CDC’s recommendations,” according to the March 5 email.
The email also states that the university is “not canceling any campus events at this time,” due to there only being two known cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, but states the situation is “fluid” and more information may be sent out in the future.For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the Health Center’s Frequently Asked Questions page.
