The University of St. Thomas strongly discourages university faculty, staff and students from traveling internationally, after announcing its plan to close its Bernardi campus in Rome following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in northern Italy.

Until the end of the spring semester, university-related international travel is not permitted unless approved by Richard Plumb, executive vice president and provost. In addition, any member of the university community returning from a country with a CDC Level 3 travel advisory should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days before returning to campus, limit contact with vulnerable individuals and avoid crowded public places, Plumb wrote in an email.

Level 3 countries include Italy, China, Iran, South Korea and Venezuela.

The campus closure will affect all students and faculty on the Rome campus, including 54 students: 33 with the Catholic Studies program, 14 with the Saint John Vianney program and seven in other programs outside of St. Thomas.

The closure was confirmed to the students Friday morning, and the campus will officially close March 6. Students have been urged to return to the U.S. as soon as possible. There are no known cases of the virus in Rome.

“We’ve only been here for 18 days,” sophomore Catholic Studies in Rome student Abigail Schlosser said. “Realizing we are not going to get that experience is really hard.”

Schlosser said students were told that once they return, classes would be taken online.

Italian officials have taken measures to contain the virus, which include prohibiting school trips, travel restrictions and quarantines, according to a message sent to St. Thomas students and their parents involved in the Catholic Studies and SJV programs in Rome.

“We simply cannot predict how COVID-19 will continue to spread throughout Italy, and we believe it is in the best interests of our students to leave Rome before the ability to do so is restricted,” the message said.

The University Action and Response Team, an emergency preparedness group comprised of a number of university officials, started meeting with medical personnel about the virus on Jan. 28.

“We came together on a daily basis and made this decision,” Vice President for Student Affairs Karen Lange said. Lange said that the university will assist with travel and housing arrangements.

Students and staff in Rome will not be required to be isolated or quarantined upon their arrival back to St. Paul, said Madonna McDermott, Center for Well-Being executive director.

“We’re following the CDC guidelines, and since as of right now there are no active cases in Rome, there is not a requirement for isolation or quarantine,” McDermott said.

Rome program director Thanos Zyngas and representatives of the Office of Study Abroad were unavailable for comment.

TommieMedia will update as more information becomes available.

Carly Noble, Justin Amaker and Emily Haugen contributed to this report.