Editor's note: The following message was distributed to the Emory community via email on Jan. 31.

Emory University’s commitment to the health and safety of our community is paramount and we are closely monitoring the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

Since the illness was detected, a team of Emory leaders from emergency preparedness, health care, campus life and other units has been meeting and keeping a close eye on the spread of the virus to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have discouraged all non-essential travel to China due to the outbreak. In response, Emory is temporarily suspending official and all previously authorized, university-sponsored travel to China for students, faculty, and staff. This restriction includes travel for university-related activities such as teaching, study abroad, conferences, internships, research, recruiting, business meetings, and special events. Any requests for approval of travel to China must be made through the Executive Travel Safety Committee and submitted to: global@emory.edu. 

While this does not affect personal travel, we urge anyone planning a trip to China to carefully review the latest health information and be aware that anyone returning from China may be subject to the screening and quarantine guidelines in place at this time. 

As Emory’s close monitoring and communication updates will continue, all faculty, students, staff and visitors are welcomed to campus and encouraged to engage in their regular activities. 

This is a rapidly developing situation and to keep everyone informed and healthy Emory created a webpage to answer questions and offer guidance. The page, Coronavirus updates for the Emory community, provides helpful phone numbers, links, and support resources.