Proposed policy on travel to CDC warning countries
Provost Michael R. Halleran and Chair of the Emergency Management Team Anna Martin sent the following message to the William & Mary community Nov. 11, 2014. - Ed.
Dear William & Mary community:
We are writing to inform students, staff and faculty about the Ebola virus and additional precautions the university is taking as we consider the current situation in West Africa.
While we assess the risk of Ebola at W&M to be very low at this time, we do believe additional precautions related to international travel are warranted. The Emergency Management Team (EMT), working closely with the Reves Center for International Studies and the university’s Chief Compliance Officer, has approved a draft policy that establishes guidelines and a protocol for faculty, students and staff traveling to any country that is subject to a Level 3 Warning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the policy, which can be read here: http://www.wm.edu/offices/compliance/policies/proposed_policies/index.php, university-sponsored travel to CDC Level 3 Warning countries will require prior approval by the university’s Travel Warning Review Committee (the TWRC). The TWRC will consult regional experts in conjunction with relevant faculty and deans to make a decision on travel.
The draft policy is available for the community to review and submit comments for the next 30 days: http://www.wm.edu/offices/compliance/policies/proposed_policies/index.php
During this review period, we have decided to take the interim step of implementing the substance of it for the three West Africa countries currently on the CDC Level 3 Warning list: Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
All travelers should contact Nick Vasquez, International Travel and Security Manager, for additional information on how to petition for approval to travel to a CDC Level 3 Travel Warning country. In addition, students, faculty and staff should also report non-W&M related travel to these countries. Nick can be reached at 757-221-1146 or snvasquez@wm.edu.
We encourage every student, scholar, staff and faculty member to familiarize yourself with the CDC and Ebola. You can read more about the CDC Travel Warnings at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/. In addition, please note and heed the advice of the State of Virginia’s Department of Health website at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epidemiology/ebola/index.htm.
As a reminder, the EMT has a website that provides updated information on current situations involving infectious diseases: http://www.wm.edu/about/administration/emergency/current_issues/index.php
Michael R. Halleran Anna B. Martin
Provost Vice President, Administration