Lee extends break, prepares proactive response to coronavirus
People wait inside Rome's Termini train station, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. In Italy the government extended a coronavirus containment order previously limited to the country’s north to the rest of the country beginning Tuesday, with soldiers and police enforcing bans. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
On Wednesday, Dr. Paul Conn sent out an email containing information for students and faculty returning from break. Conn said the coronavirus threat in Lee’s area is low, but Lee will be taking several precautionary measures, including pushing back the start of classes to Tuesday, March 17 and ensuring all students traveling abroad are tested for the virus.
“We will screen and/or test students and staff returning from international trips before they return to their dorms or classrooms,” Conn said in the email. “This applies to everyone who has spent the spring break on a school-sponsored trip, as well as all other students who self-identify as being in an at-risk category. That includes international travel, known contact with a person who has tested as positive for COVID-19, or the presence of symptoms such as fever, persistent cough.”
Conn said the screening process will be handled by Lee’s health services staff in cooperation with local hospitals. Additionally, Conn said Lee is engaging in various measures to prevent COVID-19 from reaching the campus.
“These measures include a high level of deep cleaning and disinfecting common buildings and areas of the campus, various changes to our procedures in the dining hall and food services by Sodexo, a self-assessment early-warning instrument to be administered by our Health Clinic staff, and additional training for appropriate personnel in Student Development,” Conn said.
The coronavirus outbreak is surging worldwide with more than 118,000 confirmed cases and over 4,200 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic on Wednesday, urging countries to “pull out the stops” to change the course of the pandemic.
Multiple American universities have canceled study abroad programs to European countries, including Italy. According to CNN, the University of Georgia, Gonzaga University, Florida International University, Elon University, New York University, among others have suspended or rerouted their programs in Italy.
According to AP News, the virus has reached more than 80 countries. Italy, which has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths outside Asia, has responded with the suspension of all schools and universities until March 15. Italy has reported a total of 10,149 infection cases and 631 deaths.
Angeline McMullin, director of Global Perspectives at Lee, said the university is closely monitoring the information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently, Lee has a 12-week semester abroad program running in the UK, led by Dr. Mike Iosia, chair of Lee’s Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Secondary Education.
Lee had two spring break trips scheduled to the Republic of Ireland and Italy, leaving on Thursday, March 5. Following a State Department warning and CDC recommendations to “reconsider travel” and “avoid non-essential travel,” the university rerouted the Italy trip to England. On Sunday, Italy announced a nationwide quarantine.
“We made the decision to alter our plans because we want our students to have a good cultural experience, so we won’t take any risks,” said McMullin.
McMullin added that the university is preparing for summer trips to Europe and considering alternatives if the situation gets worse.
Junior English literature major Brennan Humphreys said the speculations about coronavirus should be separated from the facts. Humphreys, one of the students who had signed up for the Italy trip, added that the current situation will altogether bring a different travel experience for students.
“My concern is generally low because the risk is high for different groups of people,” said Humphreys. “I trust the university to make the right decisions and set alternative avenues if needed.”
“We have no reason to believe there is an immediate threat to our campus, but we are determined to be proactive in being ready to respond, should it be necessary,” Conn said. “This is a serious problem, and it is sobering to consider how best to deal with it. All we can do is stay as well-informed as possible, respond intelligently to the facts we have without a spirit of fear or panic, and remember that we are all in God’s hands, and He is with us – with Lee University and with you individually.”
The university has assembled a task force to monitor the situation and consulted physical plant personnel to evaluate “potential plans for deep cleaning and disinfectant” before students return from spring break on March 17.
Lee will continue sharing information regarding the virus here.
For reports on COVID-19 crisis, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
