International Programs created a video message featuring University of Iowa alumni across the globe to celebrate Hawkeye unity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

“57 parents of Chinese students and young alumni worked together on purchasing and donating 8,000 medical masks to the UI Hospitals and Clinics. The masks were delivered to ’Love City’ yesterday,” Min Zou, mother of UI student Daniel Zhang, sent this message to a UI staff member via WeChat. ‘Love City’ is the Chinese nickname of Iowa City based on its pronunciation used by generations of Chinese-speaking students, alumni, families, and friends. 

The coronavirus pandemic dominates the news these days, and for good reason. Government and public health officials are holding press briefings as well as pushing out information via media outlets and social media channels to educate the public about the pandemic. But many of these sources of information are out of reach for members of refugee and immigrant communities for whom English is limited.

Joining the list of University of Iowa study-abroad programs suspended because of coronavirus concerns are a number of Italy programs.

University of Iowa officials said Wednesday any change in delivery method of instruction would occur in coordination with public entities. They emphasized they're confident risk is low in Iowa.

With an increase in coronavirus testing kits and reactionary procedures in place, medical and university officials say UIHC is ready for a potential outbreak in Iowa.

Since the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China, Can Zhang (BBA economics ’14, BBA management ’14), the owner of a local driver training business that he took over from his family in late 2017, has been conducting online meetings with his management team on a regular basis. During a recent online meeting, he decided the company would benefit from implementing a conservative strategy to reduce costs and build a cash surplus in 2020. “The COVID-19 outbreak is really hurting small and medium-sized enterprises. During this crisis, some companies went bankrupt because they didn’t have enough cash flow. My company is facing a similar problem. I am not going to start any new projects or make any aggressive investments this year. The impact of COVID-19 is likely to be repercussive, and a long-term conservative strategy might be needed for my business,” Zhang said. 

Yuan Lu, lecturer in the UI Division of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, was born and raised in Wuhan, China, the location where the 2019 Novel Coronavirus appears to have originated. Lu is in regular contact with family members and former high school and college classmates in Wuhan via WeChat video calls. Lu shares what he has learned about daily life in Wuhan below.

Even though no cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus have yet to be reported in Iowa, the university has canceled study abroad programs to countries heavily impacted by the virus.

On February 21, expert guests from UI Hospitals and Clinics, the Iowa State Hygienic Lab, UI Student Health, and UI International Programs joined host Joan Kjaer to discuss the virus and its potential for harm here in Iowa as well as the measures the university is taking to inform, protect, and support its students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community.

Concerns about the present and future danger of the 2019 novel coronavirus will be addressed by an expert panel on a special WorldCanvass called "Coronavirus: Perceptions and Precautions" to be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., February 21, in 1117 University Capitol Centre (UCC). The event is free and open to the public.