Concerns about coronavirus have Ohio State University officials putting more restrictions on students, staff and faculty who recently traveled to China.
A Sunday evening email says that effective immediately, Ohio State students and employees returning from China are not permitted to come to work, attend class or participate in any campus activities for 14 days after leaving China.
Ohio State had already restricted university-sponsored travel to China. The latest guidelines came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State updated their guidance.
“The reason for more strict restrictions is because the increase in coronavirus cases in China in recent days has increased the infection risk for more recent travelers,” the email says.
The email says the new restrictions do not apply to those returning from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.
For those who returned from China before Sunday afternoon, "public health officials recommend self-monitoring for fever and respiratory symptoms but no other changes in activities at this time."
The latest Ohio State travel restrictions came on the same day that Miami University administrators joined state health officials in announcing two students who’d been isolated after showing symptoms similar to those of cononavirus tested negative.
The World Health Organization announced Thursday that the outbreak of the deadly and fast-spreading strain of coronavirus constitutes a global health emergency.
