COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas State University is the latest Texas college to cancel trips to China because of the novel coronavirus.
On Thursday, Texas State announced the university had canceled its 2020 Education Abroad trip that was intended to visit China. This announcement coincides with a Level 4 international travel advisory for China being issued by the U.S. State Department.
After a Texas A&M University student recently tested negative for the novel coronavirus after visiting Wuhan, China, the university suspended all university-sponsored travel to the country for undergraduate students based on advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Faculty, staff and graduate researchers were also urged to give serious evaluation before requesting travel to China. They will need preapproval from the university, which will only be granted for essential travel.
TAMU said travel to China is considered high risk at this time and no precautions are available to protect against the increased risk of the virus.
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"Too, there’s no transportation allowed within and out of Wuhan and other cities of Hubei province, including buses, subways, trains and the international airport," the university said on Tuesday. "There’s limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas, according to the CDC, which said other areas may be affected."
The University of Texas has also chosen to suspend undergraduate travel to China. Faculty, staff and graduate student travel will have to be reviewed by the Restricted Regions Review committee. Until further notice, only essential travel will be considered and approved travel will require an in-country safety plan.
Texas Christian University is taking similar actions.
"Following the recommendations from the U.S. State Department (Travel Advisory for China to Level 3 – Reconsider Travel), Texas Christian University has suspended all current and future programs to China until further notice. The health and safety of our students and faculty is of utmost importance,” the university said.
As of Thursday, there have been 7,834 confirmed cases of the virus, 99% of those occurring in China. At least 170 deaths have been confirmed, zero of which occurred in the U.S.
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