Harvard Prohibits all University-Related Domestic and International Travel Until Further Notice, Discourages Personal Travel

Harvard is prohibiting all University-related domestic and international travel until further notice, University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp, and Harvard University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen wrote in an email to affiliates Monday.

“This applies to all community members—students, faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, and other academics,” they wrote.

Garber, Lapp, and Nguyen announced on April 7 that non-essential domestic air travel and all University-related international travel was prohibited through at least May 31. They also barred all Harvard-organized and Harvard-funded international travel scheduled between April 7 and August 31.

Noting that travel “increases the risk of exposure to the coronavirus for you and your community,” the three administrators wrote that the travel guidelines are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State’s travel warnings and advisories.

“Harvard bases its travel guidance on a variety of factors, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Level 3 Warning – Avoid Non-Essential Travel, the U.S. State Department’s Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel, and the CDC’s recommendation against domestic travel,” they wrote. “Governments worldwide have issued similar warnings and entry restrictions, which can change without advance notice.”

Garber, Lapp, and Nguyen will continue to adjust University-wide travel guidance as the public health situation and various government travel advisories change, they added.

Harvard is also strongly discouraging personal travel, domestically and internationally, with the exception of individuals who stayed on campus after Spring Recess and will return home before the end of the spring semester.

People who do choose to travel should abide by local public health guidelines, Garber, Lapp, and Nguyen wrote, washing their hands and following local quarantine guidance.

—Staff writer Fiona K. Brennan can be reached at fiona.brennan@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @FionaBrennan23.

—Staff writer Michelle G. Kurilla can be reached at michelle.kurilla@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @MichelleKurilla.