The possibility of an outbreak of coronavirus in Grand Junction has become a serious concern to Colorado Mesa University (CMU), but officials are emphasizing on tackling the situation with caution and level headedness.
“In addition to my communication to campus and students, we are performing regular cleaning of residence hall common spaces, academic buildings and other facilities and are continuing to supply hand-sanitizer across campus facilities,” Vice President for Student Services John Marshall said.
After the first identified case was reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, the COVID-19 coronavirus has diffused across the globe, as upwards of 105,000 cases have been confirmed and over 100 countries affected — one of which is the United States.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19 is primarily spread from person-to-person, particularly people in close proximity from one another. Coughing and sneezing is a common way that the virus is being spread.
“Again, it’s hard to say how coronavirus might affect classes but we are preparing for everything from mild absenteeism all the way up through a temporary closure — which, at this time, seems unlikely,” Marshall said.
Being that the virus has a low mortality rate, students shouldn’t be too concerned. The Chinese CDC reported that, as of March 8, 80.9% of cases were mild and did not result in death.
For students traveling in the summer or who are looking to study abroad, the threat of coronavirus seems to be even more pressing.
Another concern is for the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) that CMU works with to send students abroad. For Spring 2020, CMU had 16 students abroad, two of which were studying at a university in Milan, Italy and are returning to the United States as ISEP closed the program last week.
“The health, safety and welfare of CMU students studying abroad is our number one priority so we continue to monitor sources and re-evaluate. Other concerns that our office is monitoring are related to travel or logistical issues that a student could face around the world,” said Annie Gingerich, Director of International Student Admissions & Programs.
Barbara Boba is a current CMU student who is studying abroad from Poland. This summer, she and a friend are headed to Columbia, Ecuador and Peru, and after that, she plans on heading back home to Poland.
“I would say it is what it is – the only concern is, of course, being in crowded places where the virus has already spread, but it is less of a concern about myself, but eventually catching the virus and passing it further to the people actually vulnerable,” Boba said.
“I would say, [coronavirus] is a concern for me, but on a moderate level. I am aware which groups are in the higher risk of being infected, and luckily for me, it seems like COVID-19 is a huge threat, but mostly for elderly people or for those with weak immune systems. Thus, I am trying to not panic and just simply be up to date with the newest reports,” said Aleksandra Jachymiak, a CMU student.
Future study abroad programs in China or South Korea have been cancelled for now. CMU has two students that plan to study abroad in Japan from the end of March until the end of July and the university is in close communication with them should any changes to the program arise.
“As our students start to finalize their summer and fall 2020 study abroad plans [27 have completed the application process to study abroad], we are moving ahead as normal but communicating that we are proactively monitoring the situation as it relates to COVID-19 and will communicate any changes and updates to study abroad programs if/when they arise,” Gingerich said.
Since there is no vaccine for the coronavirus as of now, the best thing for CMU students to do to stay healthy is to avoid contact with sick people, refrain from touching their face and to disinfect commonly touched places.
