March 6, 2020
Dear UT Community,
As a result of the spread of the coronavirus, city and county leaders today declared a state of disaster in Austin and canceled the upcoming South by Southwest Festival, which would have drawn tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.
So far, there have been no confirmed cases of the virus locally. The university is continuing to monitor the rapidly changing situation so we can protect the health and safety of students, employees and visitors.
On Saturday we were going to host our annual Explore UT event. Now, because of the city’s declaration and the specific nature of the event, I have decided to cancel it. Explore UT is a unique program that would have brought thousands of Texans to campus on school buses, including many young children, to participate in daylong, high-touch, hands-on programs both indoors and outdoors.
Other campus activities, including sporting events and performing arts events, will continue as scheduled, as will campus classes and daily operations. Our physicians at University Health Services and Dell Medical School are working closely with us to assess conditions and make recommendations.
We will remain in touch with you in the coming days about the campus responses to the coronavirus. Please visit our website regularly for the latest updates.
Sincerely,
Gregory L. Fenves
President