Dear Vanderbilt Students:

This evening the Centers for Disease Control issued new travel advisories for Italy and Iran raising them to Level 3: Avoid Nonessential Travel. Because of the new advisories, Vanderbilt has updated guidelines for community members’ self-isolation upon returning from travel.

As we approach spring break, students should reconsider personal travel to any country with a CDC level 3 (“Avoid Nonessential Travel”) or State Department level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) or 4 (“Do Not Travel”) advisory due to COVID-19. The list of affected countries and the warning level changes daily. We encourage you to monitor developments through the State Department and CDC websites.

All Vanderbilt community members returning to the United States from mainland China, South Korea, Italy, or Iran must notify the university and self-isolate for 14 days off campus.

Vanderbilt Student Health Center has monitoring in place for students who have traveled to China, South Korea, Italy, or Iran within the past 14 days or otherwise come in contact with a case of COVID-19. Individuals can complete the self-report/self-monitoring survey at https://redcap.link/vustudentcovid. Once the initial survey is completed to provide the specifics of your travel (or other potential exposure), you will receive twice-daily symptom surveys.

Any student traveling to or passing through these countries during spring break must self-isolate for 14 days either (1) in their family homes in the United States or (2) their off-campus apartments. Campus residents who do not have family in the United States should contact the Office of Housing and Residential Experience (615/322-2591, ohare@vanderbilt.edu) at least 72 hours prior to their arrival on campus. Any student not complying with Vanderbilt’s notification and self-isolation practices would be subject to immediate disciplinary procedures through Student Accountability.

Any individual who may have been in contact with someone who has been infected by COVID-19 or who exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection should also self-isolate. The self-isolation guidance may change quickly, so please stay informed. For additional information on how to gauge your risk of COVID-19 infection, see the CDC website.

Continue to monitor the university’s dedicated webpage, vu.edu/coronavirus, for the most current information.