Coronavirus: Returning From Break

February 29, 2020

A Message from President Elaine Collins

NVU Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Over the February break, 17 VSCS students, faculty, and staff visited France, Switzerland, and Italy on a Northern Vermont University Education First trip. During the trip, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak took place in northern Italy. While our trip traveled through the area by bus, it did not make stops in any town with reported cases. The NVU travelers will be flying home to the US on Sunday, March 1.

We have reached out to the Vermont Department of Health to determine what, if any, protocols we should follow upon the return of our travelers to Vermont. The DOH requests that all who have traveled to areas where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks, contact the DOH directly and closely monitor themselves for fever and other symptoms. The DOH will also educate any travelers on the COVID-19 symptoms and prevention tactics and assist with monitoring.

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak, including information about symptoms and transmission, which continues to evolve rapidly. As with any national health issue, we are following the guidelines and recommendations of the CDC. Public health agencies are the best source for the most up-to-date information. We ask that you follow stay-healthy practices, which include staying informed, and following common cold and flu prevention strategies, including washing your hands frequently and not touching your face where there are many transmission points. See Dean of Students Jonathan Davis’s message from January 31 for stay-healthy practices.

We want to take this time to reassure the NVU Community that the Administration is actively planning for our response should there be an occurrence of COVID-19 on our campuses. We will stay in touch with you about these plans in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you. We look forward to seeing you all on your return. Safe travels as you make your way back to campus.

President Elaine Collins