In December 2019, the first case of a novel coronavirus was identified in China. Two months later, on February 23, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported community spread of this coronavirus in the United States and urged the public to take various measures to prevent the spread of the virus. With continued person-to-person transmission, both domestically and globally, colleges and universities have initiated disaster planning protocols, in some instances cancelling study abroad programs, limiting staff and student travel, or considering how to continue or temporarily postpone campus operations in the event of a single diagnosis, controlled outbreak, or pandemic.
In this one-hour, audio-only briefing, which is complimentary to NACUA members, Alejandro Mayorkas, partner at WilmerHale, leader of the firm's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force, and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security who supervised the Department's Zika and Ebola response teams, and Devin Jopp, Chief Executive Officer of the American College Health Association, join NACUA members Monica Barrett of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC and Robin Parker, General Counsel of Miami University, to brief on:
- Campus legal issues related to the duty of care, the legal authority to restrict travel, contract administration, and more;
- Operational considerations including quarantines, campus closures, research operations, and study abroad;
- Practical advice for coordinating with external authorities and communicating with campus stakeholders; and
- Other considerations related to planning for, preparing for, and responding to Coronavirus.