Students, faculty, and staff at George Mason University will be grounded starting Monday.
The university, with campuses in Fairfax and Prince Willaim counties, told Potomac Local News it will ban international travel due to the coronavirus outbreak.
From an email | Mason is suspending all university-authorized travel for students, faculty, and staff effective Monday, March 16 through at least April 10. This includes domestic and international travel. Exceptions can be granted on a case by case basis in accordance with Policy 1134; however, travelers must be able to demonstrate a compelling and necessary reason to travel.
We recognize that this is an inconvenience and disappointment to those looking forward to attending these events; however, many event organizers are canceling their programs on their own to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
In addition, we encourage students, faculty, and staff to avoid personal domestic and international travel during this time.
We are evaluating additional options, including extending spring break, canceling events, moving to virtual learning and encouraging telework for employees. We expect to have additional details to share later this week. Please remember to check the university’s coronavirus website for additional details and information.
University spokesman Damian Cristodero said the college is actively monitoring the situation and posting updates to a special website deduced to the coronavirus outbreak.
In Fredericksburg, students at the University of Mary Washington have just returned from spring break. As it stands, the daily college routine has resumed, for now.
“At this point, we have made no plans to change our course delivery system and are carrying on in our usual operating procedure,” Anna B. Billingsley, University of Mary Washington spokeswoman Anna B. Billingsley told Potomac Local News. “However, the University’s Emergency Operations Team is monitoring the situation hourly and meeting daily.”
“As you know, it’s a very fluid situation, and our plans could change quickly. We have been conferring with other universities and following guidance from the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health,” she adds.
The University of Mary Washington has 4,440 students, while 37,361 students attend George Mason.
A total of eight cases of coronavirus have been reported in Virginia, which includes cases in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Spotsylvania counties. So far, the virus, which originated in China, has affected people 637 people in 36 states, including Washington, D.C.
