photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World File Photo

Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus is shown on Sept. 13, 2018.

Updated at 1:06 p.m. Tuesday

The University of Kansas on Monday joined numerous institutions around the country in restricting all travel to China, South Korea, Iran and Italy amid growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

Chancellor Douglas Girod issued the restriction in a note to the campus, saying that although the current risk to U.S. residents remains low, signs globally point to the respiratory virus — which originated in Wuhan, China — becoming a pandemic.

“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and the risk assessment will be updated,” Girod said in the message. “It is crucial that all Lawrence campus-sponsored international and domestic out-of-state travel be registered in advance, per guidelines and best practices.”

The timing of the outbreak spreading into the United States poses a problem at the university, where the weeklong spring break begins next week. Girod said KU was “strongly recommending” that students and staff reconsider any international travel they had planned during the time off.

“The reality is, there are two circumstances you need to consider if you travel: 1) you might become ill, and 2) as countries evaluate travel into and out of their regions, limitations and bans are being put into effect, often with little or no warning,” he said.

If people affiliated with the university do travel overseas for personal reasons, they’re still encouraged to register that travel with KU so the university can provide resources and support, if needed.

In a message to higher education institutions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday recommended that universities should consider suspending international student programs and asking those currently enrolled to return home.

“Those overseeing student foreign exchange programs should be aware that students may face unpredictable circumstances, travel restrictions, challenges in returning home or accessing health care while abroad,” the message said.

KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson told the Journal-World on Tuesday that the university’s suspension of all study abroad programs in countries with a current Level 3 travel warning from the CDC affected 43 students during the spring semester. Thirty-five of those students were in Italy, seven in South Korea and one in China.

Students in those programs have been asked to return to their home residences by Friday, Barcomb-Peterson said in an email, and some of those students have already arrived home.

“The returning students have been asked to self-isolate and monitor their health for 14 days, as recommended by the CDC,” she said. “Students whose permanent residence is in Lawrence have been asked to check in with Watkins Health Services upon return.”

KU is continuing to post updates on the virus at https://publicaffairs.ku.edu/coronavirus.

As of Tuesday morning, the state of Kansas still had no documented cases of the virus, and it has only investigated two possible cases since the outbreak began in January, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Both of those patients, one in Lawrence, tested negative.