The International Researchers and Scholars Office (IRSO) team is available to provide support and assistance for researchers with coronavirus-related travel delays and to their managers or hosts. The IRSO team is reaching out to scheduled new hires, affiliates, and current staff who are abroad in China to share information as it becomes available.
Hiring managers or hosts who have new hires/affiliates or current employees/affiliates from China or in China can contact IRSO (irso@lbl.gov | (510) 486-4774) for assistance.
As an international research institution, the Lab welcomes colleagues from around the world. The Lab is continuing to monitor the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), particularly the travel restrictions that have been put in place to help halt the spread of the virus. The Lab has previously suspended all business travel to China until further notice.
President Trump has issued a “Proclamation on Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus,” implementing travel restrictions for those arriving from China into the U.S. or those who have recently visited China.
Among the restrictions:
- Entry is barred for foreign nationals from any country and any nationality who have visited China within 14 days of their attempted entry into the U.S., with exceptions for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR-Green Card Holders), spouses/children of United States Citizens (USC) or LPRs, and a few other groups.
- A mandatory quarantine (up to 14 days) is in effect for USCs returning to the U.S. from China’s Hubei province (also expected to apply to excepted groups noted above)
- USCs who have visited other parts of mainland China within 14 days of entry into the U.S. will face advanced health screenings and self-quarantines
- Flights from China are limited to 11 airports (New York, Illinois, California – SFO and LAX – Washington, Hawaii, Georgia, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Texas, and Michigan)
- All U.S. consular appointments are canceled with an unknown timeframe for when they will resume.
- Foreign nationals applying for U.S. visas (such as H-1B and J-1) in China are on hold until further notice.
