On Friday, 7 February, Masaryk University management decided to restrict the arrival of Chinese students planned for the start of the spring semester. “We are continuously monitoring and assessing the situation. As a preventive measure to minimise any risk, we decided to postpone the arrival of university students from Hong Kong,” says MU Press Officer Tereza Fojtová.
The students, who were scheduled to arrive on 15 February, have already been informed that their exchange has been cancelled. Students who are already on their way to the Czech Republic were instructed to report to the airport medical service to request screening. The university will decide on further steps once the test results are known.
Students who have already arrived will not take part in the planned welcome activities with other students and will only join their classes two weeks after they start. They have also been asked to closely monitor their health. Special measures have also been taken at the dormitories, which have set aside resources to place anyone who suspects that they are infected in isolation and to transport them to the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Brno.
The department responsible for foreign student exchanges at MU is the Centre for International Cooperation. The department contacted the regional public health authority in Brno and other specialised departments as soon as the first news about the risks of the disease spreading became available and it has followed the recommendations received in all the steps and measures taken so far.
All Czech students in China were asked to return immediately and all trips to China planned by Masaryk University students and academic staff have been cancelled.
UPDATED February 14th
In addition to the measures already implemented by the University, the South Moravian Regional Hygienic Station in Brno recommended equipping students who came from China with disinfectants, drapes and consider their independent accommodation. Masaryk University has already put these preventive measures into practice. It continues to apply that the participation of these students in classes and other joint events has been postponed for two weeks and they are instructed to contact 112 in the case of health problems.