President's Letter Oultines Policy Regarding Travel to Ebola Impacted Countries
November 20, 2014
On Nov. 20, 2014, Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick issued a letter to the campus community outlining the university's position on travel to countries currently included in Center for Disease Control advisories regarding the Ebola virus.
The content of the letter, in its entirety, follows:
The most recent Travel Health Notice on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices) reads: "CDC urges all U.S. residents to avoid nonessential travel to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone because of unprecedented outbreaks of Ebola in those countries." This comes as a Warning Level 3 travel health notice, the most urgent issued by the CDC.
We are fortunate, to date, that there are no cases of Ebola in Virginia. While at Old Dominion University our risk from Ebola is low, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of all members of the university community. To that end, and in concordance with the CDC travel advisories, faculty, staff and students will not be allowed to travel on university-sponsored trips to countries where the CDC has issued Level 3 Travel Warnings or to countries whose arrivals are subject to U.S. airport Ebola screenings.
Currently, travelers arriving at U.S. airports from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali will undergo Ebola screening. The Level 3 Travel Warning locations may change, so please check the CDC website for regular updates if you are considering university-sponsored travel outside of the U.S.
If you will be traveling outside of the U.S. for personal reasons (not university-related), please be aware that returning to the U.S. from Ebola-impacted regions may result in serious delays and even quarantine imposed by the foreign country. Upon arrival in the U.S., you could be subject to additional monitoring and possible quarantine, depending on your level of risk for exposure to Ebola. The Virginia Department of Health provides monitoring details on their website (http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/ebola/).
You may also be prohibited from returning to the Old Dominion University campus until the incubation period of Ebola has passed and you are determined to be free of Ebola. This may cause unrecoverable delays in your studies, and, if you are faculty or staff, serious delays in your return to work.
Again, the risk of Ebola impacting Old Dominion University is low. It is, however, incumbent on us to be diligent about minimizing risk and protecting our university community with a reasonable and measured approach that is aligned with CDC recommendations.
Should you have questions about University travel restrictions, please contact Dr. Marcelo Siles, executive director of International Programs at 757-683-3956 and keep up to date on university Ebola virus updates at http://www.odu.edu/intlprogs.