Definition of Essential and Nonessential Travel
March 9, 2020
Dear colleagues,
Essential Travel Definition: Travel that is absolutely necessary and required.
For university staff, faculty, researchers, postdoctoral scholars, undergraduate and graduate students:
- For Undergraduate Students: Undergraduate student travel is considered non-essential.
- For Staff: Staff travel is considered non-essential except when accompanying students on approved essential travel or when not traveling will cause harm to the operations of the university.
- For Faculty, Researchers, Postdoctoral Scholars, Graduate Students: Essential travel is defined as travel that is required to:
- Preserve the safety of a research subject and cannot be postponed; or
- Preserve the results of a research activity and cannot be postponed.
- For All Travelers: If travel is approved and deemed essential, anyone traveling abroad for university-related purposes MUST register their travel before their expected departure and update this information as changes occur, before and during travel. Registration is an important step in reducing the risks of traveling abroad and helps keep the university community safe, especially in environments with heightened health risks such as COVID-19.
For additional information pertaining to international travel, please visit University Risk Management, International Travel.