SUU Closely Monitoring Global COVID-19 Developments

Published: March 10, 2020 | Read Time: 2 minutes

On March 10 a campus wide email was sent to all faculty, staff and students informing campus that SUU Administration was closely monitoring the novel coronavirus and that a community press release was sent to clarify the status of the Jumpstart students who were in Italy.

Subject: March 10 - Campus Update Regarding Coronavirus

Dear Campus Community,

In an effort to keep campus informed of SUU's response to the quickly evolving situation related to the coronavirus, we will be sending out regular emails with the latest updates. Below is a community press release we sent out today:

Southern Utah University Health Update: Coronavirus

Like others around the world, Southern Utah University is closely monitoring ongoing developments in the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). SUU Administration is in frequent contact with state and local health departments and will continue to follow guidelines and recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease (CDC) and U.S. State Department. The University is also working through it’s “Communicable and Infectious Disease Plan” to be prepared if, and when, the virus emerges in Cedar City.

Approximately two weeks ago, SUU concluded its study abroad Jumpstart program and secured travel for the 33 students and 3 faculty members out of southern Italy. The students will separately continue their academic studies through SUU’s online course platform. No one from the group is expected back on campus for the remainder of the semester since they were originally scheduled to be in Europe until April.

Upon their return to the United States, all students and faculty were directed to follow federal, state and local guidelines pertaining to COVID-19. The current CDC guidance recommends social isolation and distancing, which means staying home, avoiding large groups and monitoring one’s health for 14 days after returning to the United States. No students or faculty are currently exhibiting any signs of illness that would be an indicator of COVID-19.

There are no known instances among students, faculty or staff on campus of any who are exhibiting signs of illness that would be indicators of COVID-19. SUU has received a few questions asking whether international students on campus present a risk for the spread of the coronavirus. In answer to those questions, SUU’s international students arrived on campus before the emergence of the coronavirus. Any international students who traveled during the holiday break have been back on campus since early January (for more than two months) and have long since passed the 14-day time period when symptoms could arise. It is also well-known that the popularity and frequency of global travel mean that people of all nationalities and residencies could be carriers of the virus, which can be picked up through both international and domestic travel or exposure. SUU encourages respect, civility, and kindness toward all in our community.

For the latest information about COVID-19 visit https://go.suu.edu/coronavirus. If you have specific questions that are not answered by the information on the website, call SUU’s COVID-19 telephone hotline at 435-865-8488 or email the Emergency Response Team at emergencyresponse@suu.edu.

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Tags: Coronavirus

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