Wayne State Cancels Spring Break Study Abroad Trips Over Coronavirus Concerns

Coronavirus mask

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Wayne State University has suspended all of its spring break study abroad trips over concers of the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

The school sent out at university-wide email Thursday, saying it is taking extreme caution as there are still a lot of uknowns regarding the virus.

"Out of an abundance of caution and because of the high degree of uncertainty about how the disease is spreading and our inability to control events on the ground in different countries, we have decided to suspend our Wayne State University spring break study abroad programs for this semester," the email said. 

Students are being promised they will still receive course credits and be completely reimbursed for the trips.

Students will meet with study abroad staff next week to answer any questions they may have about the cancellation and how to get their refunds.

The U.S. Department of State has issued a do-not travel warning for China, where the virus was first detected.

Many universities and colleges across the country are also cancelling trips abroad. The University of Michigan is discouraging all trips to China and South Korea for faculty and staff.

Wayne State says it will continue to post information on its coronavirus update page, and that it is following the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.