SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Two local colleges have grounded international travel for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, while one is urging caution to those who plan to travel abroad during spring break.
The University of Rhode Island announced Friday it is suspending all university-sponsored international travel starting Monday through May 1. URI said in an email to the campus community acknowledging the decision to temporarily halt travel is “an inconvenience and a disappointment to many” who had such plans. However, URI said the “ongoing uncertainty” due to the 2019 coronavirus required the university to “take appropriate steps to safeguard” students and staff.
This decision comes a week after URI announced it is bringing back 49 students who were studying in Italy and also suspended international study programs in China in January.
URI Health Services will offer students coming back from abroad with information and monitoring their health during their 14-day off-campus self-quarantine, URI said. URI will also work with students with assistance on completing academic requirements on a “case-by-case basis.”
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth announced Thursday that it has canceled all university-organized international trips for student groups, as well as banned staff and faculty travel to China, South Korea, Italy and Iran “until further notice.”
UMass Dartmouth is also discouraging any requests for university-approved travel to Japan and such requests will require “case-by-case approval” through the university’s International Advisory Council’s Risk Management Committee.
The university and Easton-based Stonehill College are informing individuals who recently traveled to a Level 3 travel-risk destination that they won’t be allowed back on campus until finishing a 14-day self-quarantine.
UMass Dartmouth will keep all residence halls open during spring break to accommodate students who needed to adjust travel plans.
Stonehill said Thursday that it is asking anyone in the campus community planning to travel internationally during spring break to share such information with the college, as well as follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for coronavirus prevention. Stonehill students who are reconsidering traveling internationally and need housing during spring break are urged to call the college’s Office of Residence Life at (508) 565-1290.
Other local colleges earlier have made similar decisions to adjust plans for international travel and college programming.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
