A Towson University professor who came in contact with a family member being tested for the new coronavirus won’t return to the Maryland campus until final test results are back from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Maryland Department of Health evaluated both the professor and family member and determined they are at low risk of having the virus that has killed more than 170 people in China and sickened thousands worldwide.
In an email to the college community Thursday, the university said the professor would not return to the Baltimore County campus “out of an abundance of caution.”
Final CDC test results are expected in the next few days, Towson said.
While the university said it had communicated with the professor’s students, it did not specify what classes the professor taught.
“Towson University currently has no students studying abroad in China, and there is no study abroad programming in China for spring 2020. Until further notice, the university is suspending all university-related and university-sponsored travel to China,” the university said.
There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus at Towson, but the university said it would continue to monitor the situation.
All classes and events are being held as normal.
The new virus is part of the coronavirus family. The common cold, SARS and MERS are all part of that family. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The severity of the virus ranges from mild to deadly.
