Coronavirus information

Coronavirus Information and Updates

The Southern University System — Southern University Baton Rouge, Southern University at New Orleans, Southern University Shreveport, Southern University Law Center, and Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center — has been actively monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak occurring abroad and in the U.S. While no cases have been reported in Louisiana, it is important that our students, parents and employees have the most updated information, including safety measures.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Students, faculty and staff with recent travel to any Level 1 or 2 classified country should self-monitor their health upon return for 14 days. This monitoring involves taking their temperature at minimal twice daily. If they feel sick with fever (temperature greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit), cough or difficulty breathing:

• Seek medical advice. Call ahead before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel in area with community spread of coronavirus, and your symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others (within 6 feet or closer including family) by self-quarantine and staying at home.
• Do not travel while sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean your hands by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%–95% alcohol immediately after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.

Students, faculty or staff with recent travel to a Level 3 or higher classified country should self-quarantine at home for 14 days upon return to self-monitor as listed above. These individuals should not report to campus unless they have remained asymptomatic for the entire 14-day period. This recommendation also includes any individual with known contact with a CDC confirmed COVID-19 case or Department of Health Person Under Investigation for possible COVID-19 disease.

Students who have traveled to these countries should check in with their designated Student Health Centers and employees should check in with Human Resources. 

The same actions you take to prevent the spread of flu are also helpful in preventing any respiratory illness, including COVID-19: cover your cough, wash your hands often and well, and stay home when you are sick.

In accordance with guidance from the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Southern University Baton Rouge is immediately suspending all University sponsored International Travel and Study Abroad Programs. System administration is continuously meeting with respective campus administrators and staff to determine plans for student housing, classes, and workdays in the event of a campus shutdown as a result of further coronavirus impact. 

More updates will be made available on the Southern University System website as they become available.

The System will continue to meet with relevant parties, including the Office of the Governor and Louisiana Board of Regents, to ensure the safety of its campuses.