Advisories and Alerts

There has been significant social unrest in France in the past few months. The early unrest was associated with changes to the country's retirement laws; however, more recent unrest was precipitated by the police shooting of a 17-year old on June 27th. Some demonstrations have become violent and resulted in property damage. There have also been significant disruptions in public transportation, with operations ceasing early on June 30th.

The U.S. Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for France as of July 5th. However, travelers to France should remain flexible in case they need to adjust plans, and they should consult local contacts and local media sources to ensure they are aware of any transport disruptions. Travelers are advised to avoid protests. If you come across a protest or area of increased police presence, you should leave. Even peaceful protests can become violent with little notice. 

Before the war in Ukraine began, many European countries bought a great deal of natural gas from Russia. After the war began, the amount of natural gas coming into Europe from Russia decreased radically. The result has been that European countries are facing soaring gas prices and in some cases government-mandated restrictions on use in order to preserve the supply. Electricity costs have also gone up in Europe because much of the electricity produced on the continent comes from natural gas. It is likely that these restrictions will last throughout the winter, and that they will have significant effects on European economies, politics, and on daily life in Europe in the coming months.

Travelers to Europe are likely to notice some significant impacts of the energy crisis during their trips.

In some countries, governments are implementing rules on the maximum temperatures that businesses can heat their interiors during the winter. For example, in Spain, heating in public businesses cannot be higher than 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Italy is capping temperatures in public buildings at 63 degrees. Other countries throughout the continent are implementing similar rules.

The energy crisis is causing political unrest in some European capitals, and that has the potential to continue in the winter months. Travelers should be aware protests or transportation strikes that may disrupt their travel plans and avoid areas where protests are occurring.

Before you leave the U.S., make sure you have a full understanding of any rules or restrictions that may be in place in your host country due to the energy crisis. Unrest, such as political protests and transportation strikes may impact travel plans, so travelers should be aware of those and avoid areas where protests are occurring.

If you have further questions about how the energy crisis may affect your travel plans, contact Jason Hope at jasonhope@uky.edu.

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with the Mpox virus. Mpox virus is part of the same family of viruses as the virus that causes smallpox. Mpox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and Mpox is rarely fatal. Mpox is not related to chickenpox.

The most common symptoms of Mpox include:

• fever
• headache
• muscle aches
• back pain
• low energy
• swollen lymph nodes

These symptoms may be followed or accompanied by the development of a rash which can last for two to three weeks. The rash can be found on the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, and genital and/or anal regions of the body. The number of lesions can range from one to several thousand. Lesions begin flat, then fill with liquid before they crust over, dry up and fall off, with a fresh layer of skin forming underneath.

Symptoms typically last two to three weeks and usually go away on their own or with supportive care, such as medication for pain or fever. People remain infectious until all of the lesions have crusted over, the scabs fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed underneath.

The CDC and the WHO both offer additional detailed resources about Mpox. CDC information can be found at this link, and the WHO page is available here.

UK also provides additional information about Mpox at this link. 

Mpox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:

• Direct contact with Mpox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with Mpox.
• Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with Mpox.
• Contact with respiratory secretions.

This direct contact can happen during intimate contact, including:

• Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals or anus of a person with Mpox.
• Hugging, massage, and kissing.
• Prolonged face-to-face contact.
• Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with Mpox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.

The CDC provides more information about Mpox transmission at this link. Remember that anyone can get Mpox.

Mpox is currently found in many countries, including the United States. However, some countries are experiencing higher case numbers than others. The CDC maintains and updated website to help you understand how it may be affecting your destination country. You can find more information at this link.

Before you travel, ensure that you understand how Mpox may be affecting your destination country. The CDC maintains updated country-specific information at this link. Also be sure to read through CDC and WHO resources related to Mpox transmission and safety.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department offers the Mpox vaccine to qualified individuals. For more information and to contact the Health Department, follow this link.

There are several things that you can do to help protect yourself from Mpox, especially if you choose to be sexually active while you are abroad. Information and tips from the CDC are available at this link.

UK students may not conduct UK-endorsed travel in any country under a Level 3 or Level 4 advisory from the US Department of State without completing a required review and approval process. More information about UK's student travel policies is available here. The three countries most-involved in the current conflict (Belarus, Russia and Ukraine) are all under Level 4 advisories.

UK employees are strongly encouraged not to consider travel to any of the affected countries at this time. For international travel in potential war zones, long-term disability coverage requires registration with the UK International Center and approval by the President, Provost or an Executive Vice President. Contact Director of Global Risk & Strategic Operations Jason Hope at jasonhope@uky.edu for further information.

In our judgement, it is still safe to travel to the great majority of European countries, and we continue to plan for future Education Abroad programs throughout Europe. UK is not currently considering any changes to travel policy or programming due to the war.

The University of Kentucky is continuously monitoring the situation in eastern Europe. These are some of the resources we use to keep tabs on the situation:

• Advice provided by the US Department of State, which regularly updates its travel advisories, including information on the availability of US embassy assistance to travelers;
• Advice and on-the-ground security updates provided in real time by UK’s emergency assistance provider, AXA Assistance, and UK’s security intelligence provider, Crisis24;
• Continuous monitoring of open-source media;
• Advice provided by trusted on-site partners who develop international programs in partnership with us and who can speak to the realities they are currently facing in their countries;
• Continuous benchmarking with other similar universities who are considering these same things.

As always, the safety and wellbeing of UK travelers is our top priority. The UK International Center will continue to monitor the situation, providing updates to travelers and the UK community as needed.

The UK International Center has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic since January, 2020. A website that fully-addresses international travel concerns during the pandemic can be found at this link. Information about UK's broader campus response to COVID-19 is available here.