MVNU students to be quarantined

MOUNT VERNON — Members of a spring break trip to Italy from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, including 19 students who departed Feb. 22, have been asked by the university not to return to campus for at least 14 days after their arrival back in the United States today.

The precautionary concerns involve the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy. According to Knox County Health Department officials, those on the trip, dubbed “Be Charmed by Italy,” including eight non-students — three faculty, one staff, one college trustee and three parents/family members — have been asked to go home with their families and enter self-quarantine within their residences.

The number of non-students was provided by Barnett Cochran, the university’s vice president for academic affairs.

Lisa Dudgeon, RN, the health department’s nursing director and communicable disease nurse, said she spoke Tuesday morning with Tracy Waal, the university’s vice president of student life. The university had already made its decision on self-quarantine for those taking the trip. She said are a small number of the students who will go home to their families here in Knox County.

Inside their homes, Dudgeon said those who returned will be asked to engage in “social distancing” — staying a minimum of six feet away from others, and preferably using their bathroom and bedroom if available to them as well as hygienic recommendations including frequent hand washing. Dudgeon said she will keep in contact with the MVNU students from Knox County each day, which can include video calls if needed. Students going to residences outside Knox County have been asked to stay in contact with their county health officials.

Knox County Health Commissioner Julie Miller said another option besides self-quarantine would have been to possibly have the group stay in a congregate housing arrangement on campus and under quarantine for at least two weeks.

“Be Charmed by Italy” included stops in Venice, Bologna, Florence, Assisi, the Tuscany community of San Gimigagno, Rome, and The Vatican. The group, which according to the trip itinerary was led by art Professor John Donnelly, was already well underway when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 3 Travel Warning, advising against non-essential travel to Italy and South Korea. Most of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy has been in Lombardy, in northern Italy, known for its capital, Milan — a global center of fashion and finance. The closest the group came to Lombardy was in Bologna, roughly 130 miles away.

To date, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ohio. Miller said she and her staff stay in constant communication with the Ohio Department of Health, which includes conference calls each Tuesday and Thursday. Should someone show symptoms that might indicate the virus, the county has procedures in place, which include screening and testing. Nasal and throat swabs would be packaged and sent to the CDC, with turn-around time for results of 48 hours.

“My core message to the public is stay alert, stay healthy, stay educated, and stay prepared,” Miller said, adding that in Knox County, “We are still at low risk.” But there are enough college trips out of the country in Knox County, and those working for industrial employers locally who travel abroad, to make precautions highly important. Miller added that staying informed by the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the Knox County Health Department website, knoxhealth.com, are good ways to learn updated information.

MVNU issued a press release Tuesday afternoon. Donnelly wrote a post on his Facebook homepage early Tuesday, offering that the group is doing well.

“The trip’s itinerary did not include visits to towns where the virus has been most active but did include regions where the virus has been present,” the university press release stated. “Travel followed state department guidelines that were in place as the trip unfolded. The trip’s host organization, CHA Educational Tours, is committed to following state department guidelines for all their tours and has the capacity to alter an itinerary on the ground if necessary. No alterations were deemed necessary for this trip.”

Next week, as MVNU students return to campus following their spring break, the university notes that while the individual risk of contracting coronavirus is small, “we all benefit from observing good hygienic practices.”

“Our number one concern is the safety of our students, staff, faculty and community,” said Dr. Henry Spaulding II, MVNU president. “We will remain vigilant in communicating to our campus and local community the latest and best information provided to us by the CDC, and the state and local health departments.”

The group is doing well and in good spirits, Cochran said, with Donnelly offering to him, “It has actually been the healthiest Italy trip he has ever led.”

“We are encouraged by that news,” Cochran said. “They are on schedule to arrive in Columbus late Wednesday night.”

Trip flights remain unchanged, Cochran added. The group is landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, and will likely be screened there before departing for John Glenn Airport.

Pam Palm, a county health department spokesperson, said MVNU officials have been proactive and responsive. On Monday, she, Miller and other county health officials had met with numerous stakeholders to discuss how the county and state are keeping tabs on the coronavirus and what protocols are being followed. Those attending that meeting included schools, law enforcement officers, first responders and employees from long-term care facilities.

Kenyon College has four students currently in Italy who are returning to the states, according to a story in The Columbus Dispatch today.