FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As the coronavirus outbreak rapidly evolves in the U.S. and worldwide, the University of Arkansas will continue to provide the latest updates and guidance for the campus community in one place online: health.uark.edu/coronavirus.

Recent updates include new guidance regarding domestic and personal travel as well as new information on several topics in the FAQs section of the site including:

• Are resources available to help faculty prepare alternative options for teaching?
• I'm expecting visitors from out of town or overseas to attend a campus event. Should I be concerned?
• What is the campus doing to disinfect public areas like buses, classrooms and fitness centers?
• Is the university preparing contingency plans?
• Is it safe to travel in the U.S.?
• What should I consider when planning personal travel?
• What about conferences, conventions, meetings and big events?
• Will travel be impacted this summer?

Are resources available to help faculty prepare alternative options for teaching?

The university's Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support (TIPS) Center offers contingency planning guidance for faculty to help deliver content to students even when they cannot attend physical classes due to an outbreak, illness or inclement weather.

Instructors can also request departmental workshops, one-one-one support, receive Blackboard course information and access articles, tutorials and other resources.

I'm expecting visitors from out of town or overseas to attend a campus event. Should I be concerned?

If your guests are visiting from a country with a CDC coronavirus level of 2 or higher, your guest may be required to self-isolate for 14 days, per the Arkansas Department of Health. It would be advisable to discourage such visits.

What is the campus doing to disinfect public areas like buses, classrooms and fitness centers?

The disinfecting of common surfaces is part of the University of Arkansas' regular routine in multiple areas of campus, including housing, transit and parking, facilities management and much more.

Specifically, U of A transit buses are disinfected nightly, while our facilities management staff disinfects high traffic touchpoints daily - including door handles and push plates, student desktop surfaces and classroom teaching surfaces. Similar practices are used by university housing, athletics and other common areas on campus. 

Routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces followed by disinfection with an EPA-registered disinfectant is a best practice measure for prevention of viral respiratory illnesses.

Is the university preparing contingency plans?

The university's COVID-19 Response Team and Communicable Diseases Committee are coordinating activities designed to support our community's health and well-being and develop contingency plans to limit the impact to university operations should the need arise.

While these plans may not be required, these efforts are being made to assess the university's readiness to conduct online classes and other efforts related to minimizing the impact to student learning, and to ensure students and employees who may become ill can be properly supported as they recover and limit the spread of the virus on campus.

Is it safe to travel in the U.S.?

Please exercise caution and check for the latest information available for your specific destination as the coronavirus situation in the U.S. is changing rapidly.

While the CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to destinations with level 1 travel notices (this currently includes domestic travel in the U.S.) because the risk of transmission is considered low, some areas are reporting increasing levels local transmission. 

What should I consider when planning personal travel?

Consider method of transportation for all travel. Air travel, for example, tends to be crowded with people in close proximity in the plane and the airport. Traveling in a personal vehicle to a destination, would limit exposure to crowds.

International Travel

In alignment with our requirements and recommendations for university-affiliated travel, we strongly discourage personal international travel, especially to countries with a CDC risk level for coronavirus of 2 or higher. Please consider the health risk and logistical challenges that may be encountered including that the Arkansas Department of Health may require self-isolation for 14 days after traveling to or through an affected area. Customs agents are reporting international travelers arriving from affected countries to state departments of health for this purpose.

Domestic Travel

Please exercise caution and check for the latest information available for your specific destination as the coronavirus situation in the U.S. is changing rapidly. While the CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to destinations with level 1 travel notices (this currently includes domestic travel in the U.S.) because the risk of transmission is considered low, some areas are reporting increasing levels of local transmission. 

What about conferences, conventions, meetings and big events?

Many universities and companies have restricted employee and student travel to meetings, conventions and events. You are encouraged to review the information from the hosting organization for any changes or restrictions and may consider if there are options to attend remotely.

If attending events concerns you, or you have a medical reason why you should not be in crowds, then please utilize the many tools the campus offers for conducting meetings in real-time over the Internet from your desktop.

Will travel be impacted this summer?

Registered student trips to China this summer have been suspended, and the university will continue to assess the status of other summer travel and programs.

Please note that guidance from the CDC, Arkansas Department of Health and university may change rapidly given the fluidity of the situation. Any changes will be updated in the "Updates" section of the university's Coronavirus Update site.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.