January 24, 2020
Dear Tulane Community,
The university's Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response is closely monitoring developments related to the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers this a serious public health concern, they believe the immediate health risk to the general American public due to this outbreak to be low at this time. Moreover, the World Health Organization has yet to designate this outbreak as a global health emergency.
The CDC does recommend avoiding non-essential travel to China.
If you traveled to China in the last 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing, you should:
- Seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor's office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
- Avoid contact with others.
- Not travel while sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
There are no additional precautions recommended for the general public to take. However, the CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. The Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response will alert you if the threat level to the Tulane community relative to 2019-nCoV increases or if it receives instructions on additional precautions you should take.
Students, especially those from China, who may be experiencing heightened levels of anxiety during this time are urged to contact the on-call Case Manager at (504) 920-9900.
After hours, students may access The Line for confidential counseling services at (504) 264-6074 or the Student Affairs Professional On-Call at (504) 920-9900. Students may also email SRSS@tulane.edu to communicate with a Case Manager. Students can walk-in to CAPS for Counseling Services (located in the Science & Engineering Lab Complex) or Case Management and Victim Support Services (located in the LBC, G02) from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
The Employee Assistance Program is available for faculty and staff seeking counseling or support. Information about Employee Assistance Programs can be found here.
Patrick J. Norton
Senior Vice President & COO
