President Warden announces cancellations and travel advisory for the week of February 24-28.

Dear Members of the Franklin Community,

We are closely following the recommendations regarding travel and the coronavirus (COVID-19). At this time, we are asking that faculty, staff, and students living in Lombardy stay home for the week of February 24 to 28 per the recommendations of their local authorities.

All classes are canceled on Monday, February 24. The university will remain open and we await the recommendations from the cantonal authorities as we decide how to move forward. Please check your email and the Franklin app for updates.

Students are advised to avoid congregating in large groups and to avoid public crowds. In particular, we recommend that students avoid attending the Rabadan celebrations in Bellinzona. Likewise, we recommend curtailing all non-essential travel plans for this week.

In the meantime, while we are taking precautions, there is no need to panic. There are no documented cases in Ticino at this time.

Students, if you are sick with flu-like symptoms, please stay home and contact Chris Schmid, RN, Coordinator of Student Medical Services and Well Being at medicalservices@fus.edu.

As you know, the mission of Franklin University Switzerland is to provide cross-cultural and multinational learning and living environment that inspires students to engage the world. Per our mission, we are opposed to and will not tolerate any anti-Asian sentiments or racial discriminatory treatment based on fears of the coronavirus. Instead, we all remain focused on actions to prevent the spread of this virus. We ask that you be considerate of our students that may have loved ones living in areas of the world that have been greatly impacted by the virus.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

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Today (February 24), in the afternoon a communication by the health authorities is expected. We will update the whole community in real-time. In the meantime, everyone is invited to adopt responsible behavior, as indicated by the federal guidelines: www.bag.admin.ch

More info at www.fus.edu/coronavirus