A Stony Brook professor, visiting family near the initial outbreak of a dangerous new coronavirus in Wuhan, China, is unable to return to the United States, according to Newsday.
China is expanding travel restrictions on the area as the flu-like virus begins a global spread. There are currently five confirmed cases in the United States and the results for four potential cases in New York are still pending.
Sen. Chuck Schumer said at a Jan. 26 press conference that his office is trying to arrange a flight home for the professor, who he declined to name.
“We want to get him out of there as quick as possible,” Schumer said.
Stony Brook University is “grateful” to Schumer and the U.S. State Department, Media Relations Officer Lauren Sheprow said in an email to The Statesman.
“Upon return to the United States, our employee will follow CDC quarantine protocols,” she wrote.
The university sent a campus-wide email on Jan. 23 warning students about symptoms — which include fever and cough — and how to avoid spreading the disease. Stony Brook Medicine recommends that people “follow healthy habits,” including updated flu vaccinations and frequent hand-washing, to prevent the disease.
NYS Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement that all New Yorkers are encouraged to “take normal precautions against sickness, such as regular hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.”
