Published March 13, 2020
UB continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and is taking proactive measures in accordance with guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control to ensure UB faculty, staff, students, and visitors remain safe and healthy.
Our CGHE community members often travel, or host travelers from other countries. Therefore, please review updated recommendations for domestic and international travel from the CDC and New York State below before making any travel decisions.
Domestic travel
The university strongly recommends that UB faculty, students, and staff avoid traveling to regions that are being impacted by the virus. The CDC has put together a recommended list of things to consider before traveling throughout the United States.
International travel
The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to countries with Level 3 health notices (China, Iran, most of Europe, and South Korea,) and cautions travelers at high-risk of complication due to infection from traveling to countries with level 2 health notices (Global). New York State has prohibited all work-related travel to Level 3 and 2 countries until further notice. Layovers at airports in destinations with Level 3 travel notices are included in CDC’s recommendation to avoid nonessential travel. CDC Travel Advisories are being updated frequently.
For travelers seeking reimbursement for cancelled travel visit the Administrative Services Gateway.
Domestic and International Guests
Guests who have been invited to UB may also experience interrupted or cancelled travel. Foreign nationals traveling from Level 3 countries may not enter the United States. Depending on travel history, United States citizens, permanent residents, and family who visited Level 3 countries will be asked to quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time they left an area with a Level 3 Travel Health Notice.
Organizers of activities and events on campus should consult updated guidance from UB before moving forward on events. At the moment, UB is recommending that events with 50 or fewer people may be held as planned. Based on CDC guidelines, the Erie County Department of Health is strongly recommending that all events with 250 or more people be cancelled. In addition, the health department recommends that people seriously consider not attending any event or location that has 50 or more people, especially if it involves visitors from outside Erie County. People over the age of 60, and individuals who have chronic medical conditions, are also advised not to attend such events. Mass gatherings with people making sustained close contact are a place where the novel coronavirus can easily infect many people quickly and continue its spread, according to guidance from the New York State Department of Health.
If you are planning a meeting or event in the coming months, please contact your guests regarding their travel plans. It is to the benefit of all organizers to begin to set up contingency plans for their events and for travel for any guests whom they have invited to UB.
Contingency plans could include:
The situation continues to evolve quickly. Information listed here may change rapidly. You can stay up to date via the UB Coronavirus Dashboard and the CDC website.
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