ANN ARBOR – The University of Michigan has placed a travel restriction on the entire country of Italy after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified the European country as a level 3 warning destination amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
The classification urges travelers to cancel all nonessential travel to the country. The latest move follows previous restrictions by the university on travel to China and South Korea.
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According to the travel restriction, all U-M related travel for undergraduates is prohibited. Graduate students may only do so pending “compelling and extenuating circumstances with an ITOC approved safety plan.”
In addition, all personal and professional travel to Italy for the broader U-M community, including faculty and staff, is discouraged.
As of Monday, Italy had just shy of 1,700 confirmed cases. It is now the country with the largest concentration of coronavirus cases outside of Asia.
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According to the CDC:
A novel coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness (COVID-19) in Italy. Illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of infection include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Sore throat also has been reported in some patients. Some patients also have reported diarrhea without other symptoms. This new coronavirus has caused severe disease and death in patients who developed pneumonia. Risk factors for severe illness are not yet clear, although older adults and those with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness.
For more information on the coronavirus as well as the latest updates from the university, click here.