The USAC building as it stands on Feb. 25. USAC announced it would be cancelling all programs in Europe due to safety concerns.
Story updated March 19:
University Studies Abroad Consortium announced on their website they will cancel their study abroad spring programs in Europe, Japan and Israel on Thursday, March 12. On March 16, USAC announced all summer session study abroad programs would be cancelled.
The European countries include: Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Sweden.
“We are saddened that the impact of the coronavirus around the globe does not allow us to continue our programs as planned,” USAC said on their website. “The decision to cancel a program is never taken lightly, however safety and academic continuity are top priorities. We are hopeful that with the contingency plans, students will finish the semester successfully. “
USAC previously announced canceling spring programs in Spain on Wednesday, March 11 and Italy, South Korea and Japan in late February.
Currently, the Center for Disease Control classified Europe as a ‘level-3 warning’ and advise to avoid non-essential travel due to COVD-19. CDC also classified Japan and Israel as a ‘level-2 warning’ and advised ‘heighten precautions’ in the area.
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, March 11, the U.S. will suspend travel between the U.S. and Europe, excluding the United Kingdom. The proclamation went into effect Friday morning. The president’s proclamation will also not affect U.S. citizens currently in Europe.
“The United States Government is unable to effectively evaluate and monitor all of the travelers continuing to arrive from the Schengen Area,” President Trump said in his proclamation. “ The potential for undetected transmission of the virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States from the Schengen Area threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure and national security. ”
The Schengen Area refers to 26 European countries, which include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
As of the time of publication currently, the CDC reported 1,215 total cases within the U.S. Of the total cases, 125 are related to travel, 102 are related to close contact and 988 are under investigation. Currently, there are 11 cases within Nevada.
This is a developing story. Check back with the Nevada Sagebrush with more updates.
Taylor Johnson can be reached at tkjohnson@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @taylorkendyll.