The following message was shared with the university community Friday, Jan. 31:
Dear Mason Patriots,
The Virginia Department of Health announced Friday that the test result for the suspected coronavirus case associated with George Mason University is negative.
We continue to encourage all students, faculty, and staff to observe the precautions shared in previous emails to help keep the disease from spreading within our region.
University travel precautions remain in place. Mason does not have any students studying in China.
As always, we encourage everyone to treat others with dignity and respect and to not ostracize specific communities based on unconfirmed reports or suspicion of illness.
Additional cleaning routines in public areas and communicable disease prevention planning are still underway throughout Mason. The university will continue to monitor this situation and provide additional guidance as necessary.
Ideally the university does not acknowledge that a member of our community has become the subject of a health department investigation, out of concern for privacy. In this case, the abundance of information on social media and common knowledge that the suspected case was affiliated with Mason led the university to this decision.
It is extremely important that anyone who suspects illness caused by a novel communicable disease, such as coronavirus, seek medical attention and disclose their travel history. This information is vitally important in helping public health officials coordinate care for suspected cases and orchestrating a public health response to protect our community.
Respectfully,
Student Health Services
George Mason University
Safety, Emergency, & Enterprise Risk Management
George Mason University
703.993.8448 |ehs.gmu.edu |risk.gmu.edu