University of Limerick suspends travel to and from China amid coronavirus fears

THE University of Limerick has suspended all ‘university-related’ travel by all staff and students to and from China, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Any student that has travelled from China to UL in the last 14 days is being asked by the University to notify the Student Medical Centre. Any staff member that has travelled from China to UL in the last 14 days is now asked to contact their GP or a public health clinic

Any staff who are expecting visitors to the UL campus from China have been told they should indicate to them not to travel at this time.

A spokesperson for UL said:

“We are closely monitoring the Novel Coronavirus outbreak in China and we are taking proactive steps to safeguard the wellbeing of our community. As such, we have taken the decision to suspend all University-related travel by all staff and students to and from China."

The University does not currently have any students studying or on placement in China.

“UL does not currently have any students studying or on placement in China. Staff who are expecting visitors to the campus from China should indicate to them not to travel at this time.

“While the risk is currently low, our highest priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our community and therefore we ask that people follow the advice below:

“Any student that has travelled from China to UL in the last 14 days is now asked to notify the Student Medical Centre at UL by phone on 061-202534 Any staff member that has travelled from China to UL in the last 14 days is now asked to contact their GP or a public health clinic

“Staff and students have been sent advice that has been provided by the Department of Public Health and the HSE, which is listed below.

“The situation is an emerging, rapidly evolving one and we may be required to contact you with updated advice in due course.”

In 2018, UL spent €37,000 on flying staff to and from China.

A ‘novel coronavirus’ means a new strain of coronavirus that has never been seen in humans before. The coronavirus recently identified in China is one of these. This new coronavirus is being named “2019–nCoV”.