Subject: Update on Ebola Outbreak: Georgetown’s Travel Policies and Health Protocol
From: Campus Broadcast <[email-masked]>
To: Campus Broadcast <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 15:05:29 +0000

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community:

We are writing today to ensure that all members of our community are aware of our policies and procedures related to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Georgetown University, along with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, the DC Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), continue to monitor the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa and its global impact.

While the risk of the Ebola virus affecting our campus community is low, the university has a policy in place to address travel to West Africa and has implemented a protocol to educate our community, identify individuals who may be at risk of exposure and monitor travelers returning from affected regions.
Travel Policy

As we wrote in August, Georgetown continues to prohibit university-sponsored travel for all of its students, faculty and staff to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. This guidance is consistent with CDC travel warnings<http://links.georgetown.mkt6170.com/ctt?kn=1&ms=MjE1NDgwMTkS1&r=ODU3ODYyNzc3MjUS1&b=0&j=NDIwNTMwMTM2S0&mt=1&rt=0> to avoid non-essential travel to these areas. This means that university funds will not be used to support trips to these areas, nor will the university facilitate or otherwise endorse travel to these areas until further notice.

This policy will remain in effect as long as the CDC maintains the current warnings. If travel warnings for new locations are issued by the CDC, the university’s travel policy will extend to those areas as well.
Personal Travel

Georgetown University strongly urges all members of the community to avoid personal travel to these areas. If there are compelling personal reasons for such travel, the University urges students, faculty and staff to contact Joseph Yohe, Associate Vice President for Risk Management at 202-687-6622<tel:202-687-6622> [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>, prior to departure. Faculty should also review personal travel plans to these areas with their Campus Executive Vice President, and staff should review with the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as appropriate, and comply with all relevant policies.
Health Protocol

Georgetown is following the CDC’s recently released guidance: Advice for Colleges, Universities and Students about Ebola in West Africa<http://links.georgetown.mkt6170.com/ctt?kn=2&ms=MjE1NDgwMTkS1&r=ODU3ODYyNzc3MjUS1&b=0&j=NDIwNTMwMTM2S0&mt=1&rt=0> in our response-planning efforts. In order to protect our campus community from the Ebola virus, we ask that – before coming back onto campus - any faculty, staff or students who, in the last 21 days, have:
· traveled to a region with known outbreaks of Ebola; or
· had direct exposure to a person known to have an Ebola infection

contact Joseph Yohe, Associate Vice President for Risk Management at 202-687-6622<tel:202-687-6622>or [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>. Members of our community are expected to follow our monitoring protocols, which will be based on an individualized risk assessment.

It is important that all travelers adhere to these procedures in order to protect the health and safety of our campus community. Georgetown will continue to monitor updates from the CDC, the World Health Organization and the DC Department of Health in order to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information available.

For additional information about Ebola, including signs and symptoms, transmission and risk of exposure, and what to do if you are exhibiting symptoms, please see FAQs excerpted from the CDC website here<http://links.georgetown.mkt6170.com/ctt?kn=4&ms=MjE1NDgwMTkS1&r=ODU3ODYyNzc3MjUS1&b=0&j=NDIwNTMwMTM2S0&mt=1&rt=0>.
[https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif]Sincerely,

Joseph Yohe
Associate Vice President for Risk Management

James C. Welsh
Assistant Vice President for Student Health