The Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement sent an email to the community Thursday advising against “nonessential travel” to China and South Korea, citing the global outbreak of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus.

The warning aligns with official recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the college uses “an abundance of caution” in addressing the virus.

The Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement also warned against travel to areas where the spread of the COVID-19 is sustained, including Italy, Iran, and Japan.

The newly-advised travel restrictions come after the college banned all travel outside of the Netherlands for students living on Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus until March 15.

The college continues to monitor the global threat and is working with health experts on the local and national scale, the email read.

As of Thursday, there have been over 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The college posted a list of guidelines and considerations for spring break travel on its website.