February 28, 2020

Dear Members of the Hobart and William Smith Community, 

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has prompted daily news announcements, advice about precautionary practices and, most recently, travel restrictions for certain countries or regions. Hobart and William Smith have been closely monitoring the situation and assessing information provided by the U.S. State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, and various foreign government sources. We have also established a working group from across campus to ensure we remain attentive to the situation. 

Out of an abundance of caution, the Colleges have canceled our spring abroad program in South Korea. We remain in close contact with all of our other abroad programs. We will continue to monitor guidance from the State Department and the CDC and will act in accordance with their recommendations for all of our programs. 

With spring break approaching, we ask that all members of the HWS community be aware of any U.S. State Department travel advisories related to COVID-19 and exercise appropriate caution. Students wishing to stay in Geneva for spring break can register for housing by visiting the myHousing portal. 

As a reminder, there are currently no diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in New York State nor have any members of the HWS community been diagnosed. The CDC provides measured information and timely instructions on COVID-19 and anticipates that more cases will be diagnosed in the coming days, including in the United States. The CDC cautions that the best defense for contagion is to practice good hygiene and to stay home if you have flu-like symptoms. As we take precautions against the physical virus, however, it is also essential that we not succumb to fear, rumors or discrimination regarding the virus’ origin or its spread. 

We will continue to monitor this developing situation and, if necessary, provide additional information to the campus community. 

Sincerely,