Indiana University-Bloomington announced Thursday that university-sponsored international spring break trips have been canceled due to risks associated with the spread of COVID-19.
IU spokesperson Chuck Carney says that this decision was made with the safety of students, faculty and staff members in mind.
“We feel that this was a prudent decision," he says. "It’s one that colleges and universities around the country are grappling with as well and we just felt like this was the right move that we had to make at this time."
At this point, domestic IU-sponsored spring break trips have not been canceled, but Carney suggests students who plan to leave the state for spring break to take safety precautions.
“We hope that everybody will be safe, and wherever they may travel during spring break if they do travel, use caution and be sure that you are practicing good hygiene because the last thing we want to do is spread the disease elsewhere," he says.
Ball State University and Purdue University have also canceled their school-sponsored international trips.
If any student, faculty or staff member has any questions about IU’s public safety announcements or about the coronavirus in general, Carney suggests visiting IU’s coronavirus page.
IU is currently developing policies and procedures to address the potential effect of coronavirus on students and staff.
Currently, there are over 100,000 cases of the coronavirus worldwide and 200 confirmed cases and 12 deaths in the United States.
State officials confirmed the first Indiana case of the coronavirus in Marion County Friday.
There are currently no known cases in Bloomington.