Syracuse University has canceled all domestic spring break travel programs and banned all university-related international travel in response to the spread of the coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a respiratory disease experts believe originated in Wuhan, China. The disease has spread to at least 81 countries, infected more than 97,000 people and killed at least 3,800 as of Monday night.

There were 142 confirmed cases of the virus in New York state as of Monday morning, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. No cases have been reported in Onondaga County.

All university-sponsored programs that are not taking place in Syracuse during spring break are canceled, said Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, in a campus-wide email Monday.

“We regret the impact this decision will have on the academic experience of our students, but the advice and counsel we have received from experts on our campus and beyond indicates that this decision is in the best interest of our community,” Haynie said.

SU students, faculty and staff will not be allowed to travel internationally for university business until further notice, Haynie said. The university also “strongly discourages” international travel for personal reasons, he said.

The university has launched a web page to organize its ongoing response to COVID-19, Haynie said. A call center to assist SU community members in answering questions about COVID-19 will be available 24/7.

The university suspended its study abroad program in Florence, Italy on Feb. 25 amid the spread of the virus in the country. It also suspended its Madrid program on Monday night. SU Abroad’s programs in London; Strasbourg, France and Santiago, Chile remain open.

SU has also prohibited university-sponsored travel to countries with travel advisories ranked at Level 2 or above from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The advisories are currently in place for China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea.

Chancellor Kent Syverud met last week with officials from the SUNY system, New York State Legislature and state health and education departments to discuss the university’s response to COVID-19.

Syverud has directed Haynie to lead SU’s COVID-19 planning and preparedness efforts, the chancellor said in an email last week. Hayine recently established a task force to respond to the virus’ outbreak, and faculty and staff who specialize in public health will be asked to collaborate, Syverud said.

Published on March 9, 2020 at 9:57 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3