A Message to the Marist Community Regarding Coronavirus

To the Marist Community:

We write to update you on Marist College’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Senior leadership at Marist has been actively engaged in monitoring developments daily with the goal to protect the health and safety of all community members and to keep everyone well-informed.

On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China in December, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This decision promotes further cooperation among foreign governments to prevent the wider spread of the disease. Also on January 30, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) raised the Travel Advisory for China to a status of Level 4: Do Not Travel. As a result, please adhere to the following policies:

• All official Marist travel to and through China is prohibited for the immediate future as College officials monitor the situation and the progress of the outbreak. This policy covers all travel to and through China by students, faculty, and staff of any Marist location.
• Individuals who embark on personal travel to or through China will be subject to United States’ screening and quarantine procedures, currently a 14-day quarantine upon return to the U.S., which would bar them from any Marist location. Marist College urges any individual planning a trip to or through China to carefully review the latest health information from WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Students enrolled in Marist study abroad programs are prohibited from traveling to or through China. This policy applies regardless of where a student is studying abroad in Spring 2020. If a Marist student studying abroad through Marist Abroad or Marist Italy Programs is discovered to have traveled to or through China including Hong Kong prior to the end date of their study abroad program, the student may, at the College’s discretion, be un-enrolled for the Spring 2020 semester and not receive credit for their studies.

Although there is no evidence to suggest that any Marist campus location is at an increased risk, this is a rapidly evolving global situation and the College urges everyone to stay updated. The CDC continues to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available. The Novel Coronavirus in China alert and the regularly updated situation summary are the best sources of information.

Living in an interconnected world makes this an especially difficult situation. We offer our full support and compassion to the members of the Marist community who have family, friends, and colleagues in China impacted by this situation.

Questions related to heath or healthcare should be directed to medical professionals; any students on the Poughkeepsie campus with questions or concerns may contact Health Services (845) 575-3270. Health Services has issued information to students regarding signs and symptoms of illness; that information can be found here.

The College will send further updates as needed.

Geoffrey L. Brackett, Executive Vice President
Thomas S. Wermuth, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty
Deborah DiCaprio, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
John Peters, Dean of International Programs