Dear all,   This email updates our preparations related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), and also relays information from Wednesday’s Town Hall for those who were not able to attend.   The University continues to monitor the outbreak closely and will send periodic email updates from the Office of Public Safety. Those advisory notices provide the latest information from IU and we ask you to read those notices. Updated information about IU’s policies related to the virus can be found at https://coronavirus.iu.edu/index.html. That website is updated regularly and provides detailed information. We also encourage you to check your IU email regularly.   Yesterday, the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 was announced in Indiana. Also, yesterday afternoon we learned that a Kelley School of Business student, who was abroad in a Level 3 country, tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The student remains abroad and has not been on an IU campus. The student is isolated and receiving care. Below is the most current information we have related to the law school. IU Travel—International and Domestic: IU has cancelled all university-sponsored spring break student travel to international locations. No restrictions have been imposed yet on IU-sponsored domestic travel, but the university is encouraging all to reconsider travel particularly to areas in the US where the outbreak is significant. The Career Services Office has been in contact with students who are planning to attend the Washington, DC spring break trip and is monitoring the situation closely, given how quickly things are evolving. A number of government agencies and organizations have begun to restrict non-essential domestic travel. Some universities have too, and it’s possible IU may at some point need to impose restrictions. Personal Travel—Spring Break: We are discouraging students from personal travel internationally as we are concerned that students may become subject to travel restrictions and experience difficulty returning. The US government has suspended entry to the United States from some countries by foreign nationals and advised against non-essential travel to other countries (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html). IU urges you to monitor all travel restrictions closely and to consider alternative plans, including domestic travel to locations within the United States. If you choose to travel outside of the US, faculty, staff, and students should complete the IU Traveler Information Form. This is separate from and in addition to the travel approval form that faculty are already asked to complete. Please be aware of the self-quarantine restrictions (described below). Self-Quarantine: Anyone traveling from a country with a CDC level 2 or 3 travel alert must self-quarantine off campus for a period of 14 days before returning to IU or the Law School. There are no exceptions. It is your responsibility to find a location for self-quarantine. Currently, those countries include China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, but new countries could be added at any time including while you are traveling (see https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices). If it becomes necessary for you to self-quarantine, please reach out to the Student Affairs Office to let Dean Orenstein or Director Beck know. These restrictions apply to all faculty, staff, students, and anyone at IU. Faculty and staff have been asked to notify me or Dean Ochoa if they must self-quarantine. We have no international visitors from any CDC level 2 or 3 countries (those who were planning to come have canceled their plans). Our Students and Study Abroad Programs: Our students in South Korea have returned to their families in the US, but they are not returning to Bloomington. We have been in contact with our students in France, who are starting to making plans to return to the US. Students in both groups will complete their studies remotely. We are in close contact with students in other programs abroad, and with our overseas partners. Right now, all summer programs remain as scheduled. Remote Classes and Other Planning: We will continue to hold classes and other events until advised otherwise. We have contingency plans in place, however, to teach courses remotely should that become necessary. All faculty received instructions yesterday on how to teach remotely using Zoom and Canvas, and how to record and post their lectures. Workshops are being held next week to help any faculty who need additional assistance, and faculty have been asked this weekend to do a dry run at home using this technology. Faculty have also been advised to test the system in their classrooms. Senior staff have met several times, and will continue to meet regularly, and each office has continuity plans in place should a temporary closing occur. Please make sure you have the ability to access Canvas, the internet, and Zoom to join your classes remotely. If you have any concerns about your ability to participate remotely, we encourage you to contact the Student Affairs Office. Hygiene and Health: All on campus are being urged to follow best practices, including staying away from ill people; avoiding campus if you are ill; washing your hands often with soap and water; covering coughs or sneezes with your elbow or a tissue. We have hand sanitizers in places throughout the Law School. We ask that you take these requests at washing your hands frequently seriously. Although students are strongly encouraged to attend classes, in-person attendance requirements are being suspended for any student feeling sick or who are in a high-risk category, and we have asked faculty to be flexible and understanding. It is essential that students stay home if they are feeling feverish or ill. And all staff and faculty have been instructed to do the same. Faculty have also been asked to create some capacity during office hours to be available by phone or through Zoom (or similar technology). We will work with faculty to help students who cannot attend class with alternate academic plans to complete courses and degrees. If you are too sick to attend classes, please let your faculty and the Office of Student Affairs know. You can email Dean Orenstein aorenste@indiana.edu or Director Beck katbeck@indiana.edu. We know that uncertainty and concerns regarding the virus can be very stressful. We urge you to take care of yourselves, sleep well, eat healthful food, and exercise to maintain your optimal health. Don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Student Affairs and to take advantage of Wellness Week events, which start on Monday.   We continue to monitor the situation closely and to develop plans should the university need to close. Our main priorities are the health and safety of everyone at the Law School, and ensuring that students will be able to continue their studies remotely, if that should become necessary. We will provide updates as we have them, but please continue to read the IU Public Safety Advisory notices as they arrive. IU’s latest information is available at https://protect.iu.edu. Thank you. Sincerely, Austen Parrish