Dear Mason Patriots,
In light of the coronavirus situation, George Mason Korea will postpone the meeting of face-to-face classes for one week. However, you will have class beginning on the planned start date of Monday, February 24, with all face-to-face classes held online. Face-to-face class meetings will begin on Monday, March 2. You will receive specific instructions from your professors about how each of your online classes will be conducted.
This decision was made out of an abundance of caution and aligns with Korean Ministry of Education recommendations.
Mason Korea continues to monitor on a daily basis the covid-19 situation. You will be notified if changes in the situation warrant further action on the part of Mason Korea.
Housing and Travel Restrictions
Students will be able to move into IGC residence halls beginning February 17, subject to IGC guidelines.
As a reminder, domestic students who have traveled from or through China must remain off campus for 14 days following that travel, whether they are symptomatic or not.
Domestic students who have traveled from or through the following places—Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand , and Vietnam—and have flu-like symptoms will not be allowed to check in to the residence halls and must remain off campus.
International students who have traveled from or through China and have no flu-like symptoms will be under quarantine for 14 days on a specially designated floor of IGC student housing B.
If you have not yet returned your travel information through the survey sent to you via email, please do so now. If you did not receive a survey, please contact mksafety@gmu.edu.
Stay Healthy
You can help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Wash your hands often, use hand sanitizer, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, decrease stress, and limit or eliminate the use of tobacco products.
Anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms should remain out of class, away from work, and avoid others for the duration of the illness and for 24 hours after symptoms abate.
Student Support
We recognize that this situation may cause concern or anxiety, in particular for those whose families and friends in China and around the world are directly impacted. We will continue to provide support and guidance to the Mason Korea community as this situation develops. For the latest on the corvid-19 situation see the World Health Organization’s information page on the subject at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Students experiencing anxiety may seek support through Mason’s Counseling and Wellness Center. For more information, please contact +82-32-626-6142 or visit https://masonkorea.gmu.edu/resources-and-services/counseling-and-wellness.
Respect and tolerance
Mason is a diverse institution with students, faculty and staff from all over the world. 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.
Welcome (back) to Mason
We look forward to the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester, and seeing you, first virtually and then face to face.
Sincerely,
Robert Matz
Campus Dean
George Mason University Korea
