Local health officials are closely monitoring 18 Kansas State University students who recently returned home from Italy, where the country is virtually shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The students are under quarantine for 14 days and Riley County Health Department Director Julie Gibbs confirmed the students had no symptoms when they arrived in Manhattan. They are being held in previously unoccupied Jardine apartments. Both the Riley County and Lafene Health Departments are monitoring them for any possible illness.
The 14-day quarantine is a requirement by the CDC. The students will also reportedly follow recommendations by the CDC and Kansas Department of Health and Environment for social isolation.
The university announced March 4 they were suspending the study abroad program in Orvieto, Italy and bringing the students home in an abundance of caution. The country has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus. It’s been responsible for 463 deaths as of Monday and more than 9,000 confirmed cases in the country which has roughly 60 million residents.
Jeff Morris, K-State’s Vice President for Communications and Marketing told KMAN the decision was done in the “best interest of the students’ health and safety.”
K-State also announced last week a ban on faculty-led or university-sponsored trips to coronavirus hot spots like Italy, China, South Korea and Iran until further notice.
