UPDATE: Baylor University Postpones University-sponsored Travel to Italy
WACO, Texas (March 3, 2020) - In accordance with global safety and security best practices and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Department of State, Baylor University-sponsored travel to Italy is temporarily postponed until further notice. Travel restrictions also continue at this time for University-sponsored travel to China and South Korea.
Regarding travel to Italy, the CDC has issued a Level 3 Warning, Avoid Nonessential Travel advisory and the USDOS a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory due to an ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19) virus that can be spread from person to person.
Five students enrolled in programs in Italy have been advised to return to the United States. They will return to their permanent residences and self-monitor for any symptoms for 14 days while completing their courses remotely. Eighty students studying in Europe have been restricted from traveling in Italy.
Baylor officials continue to monitor the situation globally and domestically and are following CDC and USDOS guidance to make decisions regarding University-sponsored international travel, including study abroad programs and mission trips. At this time, other Baylor-sponsored travel is going forward as planned but continues to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as the situation can change rapidly.
In addition, all Baylor-sponsored travel for faculty, staff and students needs to be registered with the Center for Global Engagement. More information about travel registration is available on the Center for Global Engagement’s website. For non-University travel out of the country, travelers are encouraged to enroll in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which provides the latest safety and security information to help make informed decisions about travel.
Baylor University and the Center for Global Engagement in collaboration with the Baylor Department of Public Safety and U.S. Department of State will continue to give updates as necessary.
Updates from Baylor, as well as the latest information from the CDC, Texas Department of State Health Services and Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, are available on the University’s COVID-19 information website at www.baylor.edu/coronavirus.
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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.