Faculty, staff and students should be aware that the U.S. Department of State issued its highest advisory level 4 alerting a “do not travel to China due to the novel coronavirus” on Jan. 31, 2020.
University of California President Napolitano directed the UC community to temporarily “avoid all non-essential travel” to China on Jan. 30, 2020.
University of California restrictions do not apply to travel that is solely personal-related, but such travelers should be aware of travel risks and of federal government warnings on any type of travel to/from China.
Approval Process Prior to Travel
All non-essential travel to China is restricted until further notice. All travelers who would like to engage in essential travel to China (defined in the following categories) must obtain prior approval as follows:
Faculty: Faculty essential travel is defined as that which is required to:
- preserve the safety of a research subject and which is not possible to be postponed; or
- preserve the results of a research activity and which is not possible to be postponed.
Attendance at educational conferences is considered non-essential travel.
Faculty requests for exemptions for travel to China for research purposes must be submitted to the campus Risk Manager, Cindi Zimmerman. Requests will be reviewed and recommendations will go to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost for a final decision.
Staff: Staff travel is considered non-essential. Staff requests for exemptions for travel to China must be submitted to the campus Risk Manager, Cindi Zimmerman. Requests will be reviewed and recommendations will go to the Chancellor or Chancellor’s Designee for a final decision.
Students and Trainees: Student and trainee essential travel is defined as that which is necessary to meet a graduation requirement and which is not possible to be postponed. Student and trainee requests for travel to China must be submitted to the campus Risk Manager, Cindi Zimmerman. Requests will be reviewed and recommendations will go to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost for a final decision.
For more information about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) visit Coronavirus: What you should know on the UC Merced Emergency Preparedness website.