Semester at Sea has been closely monitoring the spread of a new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On Thursday, January 23rd, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an announcement, after a second day of deliberation, that the coronavirus outbreak does not currently meet the criteria to be considered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However, the WHO Director General underscored the severity and uncertainty of the situation in China, stating “Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one.”
Because the health and safety of our voyagers remains our first priority, based on this assessment by the WHO and other international health organizations, we have made the decision to divert from our anticipated port stop of Shanghai, China and extend our planned stay in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, by six days.
The MV World Odyssey will leave Kobe, Japan, as scheduled on January 28 and will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on February 4. Please see the updated Spring 2020 Academic Calendar, which will outline these changes.
All Semester at Sea-organized field programs in China will be refunded and all field classes planned in China will be rescheduled. Impacted students will receive additional information regarding the field class changes in the coming days. Additional field programs in Ho Chi Minh City may be added to what is currently offered and voyagers will be informed when we have updates to share.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact programadministration@
