I write today to provide an update on our continuing response to the new coronavirus. While there have been no reported cases with any connection to Georgetown, we are monitoring the situation closely and taking a number of steps to ensure the health and safety of our community.

Some of these steps include:

• Staying in regular contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DC Department of Health to ensure we are acting in accord with their guidance and recommendations;
• Proactively reaching out to members of the university community who may have traveled from China in recent weeks to ensure they are aware of university resources and symptoms of coronavirus, and urging them to seek care and contact me if they are feeling sick;
• Launching a public awareness campaign in our dormitories and public restrooms to encourage good hygiene, wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes, and to ensure all hand sanitizers across campus are full and in good working order; and
• Creating a university website that includes frequently asked questions and additional information about coronavirus and the university response and resources. We will continue to update this website regularly as the situation develops.

For Faculty:
As you know, we are also at the height of flu season, with an estimated 15 million cases currently in the U.S. Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage you to proactively inform your students that if they are feeling sick or have the flu or flu-like symptoms, then they should consider staying home. Instructional continuity plans may need to be considered.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

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