The following memo was distributed to Duke leaders and managers on Thursday, March 12.
TO: Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts, Deans, Directors, Department Heads, and Managers
FROM: Kyle Cavanaugh, Vice President, Administration, Emergency Coordinator
Last night, the U.S. government announced new travel restrictions for non-U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents on entering the U.S. for travelers from Europe.
Duke has sent the following guidance to students, faculty and staff who have registered travel in Europe.
Dear Duke Traveler,
We are writing because you are currently registered for travel in Europe.
Please be advised that U.S. President Trump recently announced restrictions for non-US citizens or legal permanent residents on entering the U.S. for travelers from Europe. Please see the Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf’s Statement on Presidential Proclamation To Protect the Homeland from Travel-Related Coronavirus Spread .
Currently, this proclamation “suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States. These countries, known as the Schengen Area, include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. This does not apply to legal U.S. permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.”
We strongly encourage those affected by this proclamation to change your travel plans NOW and book travel back to the U.S. before the proposed entry restrictions take effect on Friday, March 13 at midnight. In addition, we strongly encourage everybody to follow the news and subsequent announcements from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
We regret that we don’t have complete details, as the news was released last night in the United States and it is likely to change as the situation evolves. We want to share this information so you can start to work proactively on your travel plans. For students, we also realize that you might be receiving additional messages from Duke offices sponsoring your travel and we apologize for multiple messages. We care about your safety and are just trying to move quickly at this time. We will provide further updates as they become available.