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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Suspected cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus are under investigation at Shawnee State University at Portsmouth, the university said.
Also, Marshall University on Tuesday canceled a pop culture convention on Saturday and on Monday extended the prohibition on university-sponsored international travel.
Shawnee State Monday evening said three cases are under investigation on its campus. The school is working with the Portsmouth City Health Department, which anticipates to have the test results this evening, the university said.
Questions were referred to the health department and a message for comment from the department was not immediately returned.
All persons who were possibly in contact are being quarantined, the university said. No interruption in campus operations will take place at this time, the university said.
Portsmouth is about 85 miles as the crow flies from Parkersburg.
At Marshall, HerdCon originally scheduled for Saturday was canceled out of an "abundance of caution as the number of international and national coronavirus cases continues to climb," the school said. The convention will return March 6, 2021.
"This was a difficult decision," Monica Brooks, associate vice president for libraries and online learning at Marshall, said. "While we have heavy hearts, the health and safety of our participants is our No. 1 priority."
No cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in West Virginia. Cases have been confirmed in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Marshall also extended the prohibition on university-sponsored international travel through at least April 30, at which time the situation will be re-assessed and a decision made regarding future travel, the university said. The decision was communicated in an email to students, faculty and staff, the university said.
With spring break beginning March 23, students, faculty and staff planning international travel or to affected areas in the U.S. "are strongly urged to reconsider their travel," the university said. Travelers should take into account the possibility of travel delays, future quarantines or prolonged self-isolation when returning to Marshall University and the community.
The university created a mandatory international travel registry for students, faculty and staff who travel abroad. Effective immediately until further notice, all international travelers must register personal and professional travel.
"Local, state and federal travel regulations and health guidelines are changing rapidly, and the university wants to be as responsive and supportive as possible should more changes occur," the university said.
Any student, faculty or staff member returning to the U.S. from any country determined by the Centers for Disease Control to be a Warning Level 3 destination, meaning to avoid nonessential travel, will be asked to undergo quarantine at their permanent home residence for a minimum of 14 days prior to returning to campus. If undergoing quarantine at their permanent residence is not possible due to extraordinary circumstances, the university will provide temporary housing during the mandatory quarantine period.
The Centers for Disease Control coronavirus website is cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources around-the-clock COVID-19 information hotline is 1-800-887-4304. The website is coronavirus.wv.gov.