CDC Recommends Against Travel to China

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers avoid nonessential travel to all of China due to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. The agency updated its travel advisory Monday; previously it had only recommended deferring nonessential travel to the city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

The warning is likely to have significant impacts for higher education institutions with exchange programs in China. China is the leading source of international students in the U.S., and it is the seventh-most-popular destination for Americans studying abroad, according to the Institute of International Education's annual Open Doors report.

To date there have been five confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., including an individual affiliated with Arizona State University who had recently traveled to Wuhan. Medical professionals have recommended that college health providers inquire about students' travel histories in evaluating any patient with a fever, among other steps.