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Coronavirus

Message from Vice Provost for Global Affairs Stephenson on travel restrictions

Informed by guidance from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Carolina is expanding its travel restrictions on nonessential University-affiliated travel to include South Korea.

A plane in the sky.

Students, faculty and staff,

UNC-Chapel Hill is expanding its travel restrictions on nonessential University-affiliated travel to South Korea, including the cancellation of all spring 2020 semester study abroad programs in South Korea. As a reminder, the University continues the same restriction on travel to China.

The University is communicating with affected students studying abroad in South Korea about their return to the United States and their academic continuation options. At this time, there are no changes to the summer or fall 2020 study abroad programs.

Our decisions are informed by guidance from the U.S. Department of State, which issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issued a Warning – Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel advisory for South Korea.

Other international travel

Students, faculty and staff who are engaged in research in these countries and are considered an essential traveler must contact Andrew Hunt, global operations specialist, to initiate further review and approval.

Some members of our community are studying and working in countries that are currently categorized as CDC Alert Level 2 due to the sustained community spread of COVID-19. Students in these countries, currently Japan and Italy, should stay in contact with your study abroad advisor and follow the recommendations of your host institutions. If you have personal concerns about your health and safety related to COVID-19, please contact your study abroad program advisor.

Spring break travel

UNC-Chapel Hill’s spring break begins at 5 p.m. on March 6. By limiting travel and practicing enhanced safety precautions, we all can do our part to help prevent further spread of the virus. We recommend everyone carefully consider their spring break travel plans since the situation is rapidly changing and the virus could spread to more communities during that time.

Follow the best practices in disease prevention found on our COVID-19 webpage.

We are actively tracking updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. State Department and the North Carolina Division of Public Health. We will stay in regular contact with students, faculty and staff in regions where the virus has been identified and are working to address their needs

For the most up-to-date campus information and resources, please visit COVID-19 webpage.

Sincerely,

Barbara Stephenson
Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer
U.S. Ambassador (retired)