UW-Madison suspends 2 exchange programs in wake of virus

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has suspended study-abroad programs with South Korea and China amid fears of the coronavirus.

University officials said in a statement Wednesday they had suspended the South Korean program. The move affects five students enrolled at Yonsei University and Korea University in Seoul.

The statement said the university made the move after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised their warning levels to avoid non-essential travel to South Korea.

UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas said in an email the five students are returning to the United States. He said he didn't know their individual destinations.

The university suspended its Chinese study-abroad program in late January. Seven students were not able to travel to the country as a result.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday that UW-Milwaukee has asked two students studying abroad in South Korea to return to the U.S. in light of the CDC warning. They're due to fly back on Friday.

UW-Milwaukee doesn't have any students studying in China.