# Harvard University: Ebola Travel Ban **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 20, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-university-ebola-travel-ban/701959 "2014-10-20T23:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-university-ebola-travel-ban/701959/1 "2014-10-20T23:02:30Z")
“Harvard University has imposed an effective travel ban on Ebola-striken countries, requiring students, faculty, and staff to obtain official permission from the university administration before traveling to affected parts of West Africa, and possibly staying off campus for 21 days after returning to the U.S. from those countries.” > **[Harvard Imposes Travel Restrictions on Ebola Countries](https://www.breitbart.com/blog/2014/10/20/harvard-imposes-travel-restrictions-on-ebola-countries/)** > > Harvard University has imposed an effective travel ban on Ebola-striken countries, requiring students, faculty, and staff to obtain official permission | Harvard University? Hmm… I guess I had a somewhat different picture of that institution. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-university-ebola-travel-ban/701959/2 "2014-10-20T23:09:47Z")
The [Harvard Crimson](http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/10/20/harvard-tightens-travel-restrictions/) states reasons for this: > [@](#): > > …Harvard researchers, particularly those working in public health, have the potential to play a large role in addressing the outbreak. > > Still, Harvard’s latest round of efforts to head off the epidemic for affiliates comes with the acknowledgement that the social, political, and medical climate in the region may make it difficult for the University to aid individuals once they are there. > > “To contribute effectively in-country entails great personal risk and requires complex logistical support, which only a few aid organizations and governments are capable of providing. Only clinicians with the highest level of readiness—personal, mental, and professional—should even consider traveling,” the guidelines from Harvard Global Support Services read. Considering Harvard has a medical school and a public health school, I think it’s reasonable to set up travel guidelines. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-university-ebola-travel-ban/701959/3 "2014-10-20T23:31:26Z")
There is a huge difference between a travel ban and requiring university associates to obtain permission before traveling to affected countries. Unless the plan is to routinely deny all requests for travel, Harvard is just putting in place more effective controls. From reading more about this, it sounds like Harvard personnel may very well be traveling to affected countries in order to assist and do research, but the university wants to ensure that 1) Only people with proper qualifications and appropriate precautions make the trip, and 2) The university is prepared to deal with the situation if anyone is infected. This sounds like caution and foresight, rather than unnecessary hysteria to me. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-university-ebola-travel-ban/701959/4 "2014-10-21T04:28:12Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > “Harvard University has imposed an effective travel ban on Ebola-striken countries, requiring students, faculty, and staff to obtain official permission from the university administration before traveling to affected parts of West Africa, and possibly staying off campus for 21 days after returning to the U.S. from those countries.” > [http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2014/10/20/Harvard-Imposes-Travel-Restrictions-on-Ebola-Countries](http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2014/10/20/Harvard-Imposes-Travel-Restrictions-on-Ebola-Countries) No, they didn’t. Harvard implemented travel _restrictions_ for Harvard affiliates on traveling to Ebola-stricken countries _on university business_. So anyone who is affiliated with Harvard can travel to Ebola-stricken countries on their own dime and time.