WSU created a website on Monday to feature daily updates about the coronavirus outbreak and includes a post asking WSU students who are studying abroad to return to the U.S. 

According to the website, COVID-19 has been monitored by WSU since January. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. 

WSU is asking students who are studying abroad in Italy to return to the U.S. following the travel advisory issued by the CDC and the U.S. department of State, according to the website. 

The advisory from the U.S. Department of State warns citizens to not travel to Italy, especially Lombardy and Veneto. 

WSU International Programs is working with students and parents to address travel arrangements, according to the website. 

A faculty member at WSU Vancouver is “taking safety precautions” after a member of their family was exposed to the virus, according to the website. However, the faculty member was not directly exposed. Neither the faculty member and the exposed family member are showing any symptoms of the virus, according to the website. 

Until the family member is cleared by medical professionals in Portland, Oregon, the faculty member will not be returning to the WSU Vancouver campus, according to the website. 

A press release issued by WSU President Kirk Schulz and Bryan Slinker,  interim provost and executive vice president, states the university will not tolerate mistreatment of people of Asian descent because of the virus. An incident of mistreatment occurred on one of the WSU campuses, according to the press release. The press release is available on the website. 

Due to the spread of the virus, WSU created the Incident Command System which is a group of personnel from WSU offices including medicine, public safety and risk management, according to the website. 

The team meets daily to “identify critical issues and prepare for possible impacts,” according to the website. 

The team was created under the National Incident Management System’s Incident Command System model, according to the website. The model was created to “navigate public health and safety events.”

Students should engage in preventative actions set by the CDC, according to the website. This includes avoiding contact with sick people and avoiding contact with eyes, nose and mouth. It also includes covering mouths while sneezing, washing hands and disinfecting frequently touched areas.

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