CalArts Travel Policy for COVID-19

COVID-19 Travel Info Card
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we have created an International Travel Form for CalArts community members planning to travel outside the USA for spring break, work, or personal travel. This will give us the ability to contact community members traveling internationally with information and updates that are pertinent to them.

​​If you are planning to travel internationally in the coming weeks, you should review information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). At this time, the CDC does not have a COVID-19 travel health notice for the Continental United States or Hawaii. Most regions of the United States, including Santa Clarita, are considered low-risk.

Institute-Related International Travel

Staff, faculty and students travelling for Institute business must complete the International Travel Form. Furthermore, until further notice, we are restricting all Institute-related travel to countries with a CDC Risk Assessment Level 2 Travel Health Notice or higher. At this time, this includes China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. This applies to students, staff, and faculty traveling for Institute related activities. 

If you have planned travel on behalf of CalArts to any of these locations in the coming months, it is highly likely your plans may need to change. Provost Tracie Costantino and our Deans will be discussing how to navigate impacts on research, exhibitions, performances, recruiting, and other critical activities. Please consult with your Dean and/or the Provost Office about upcoming travel.

Institute-Related Domestic Travel

We also recommend that all members of the CalArts community avoid nonessential Institute-related domestic travel at this time. If you have questions about what is considered nonessential travel, please consult your supervisor, Dean, Provost or department Vice President. 

If any student, faculty or staff feel uncomfortable about upcoming travel that is deemed essential please let your supervisor know.  During this time, there is no expectation of required travel for anyone in our community.

Personal International Travel

For faculty, staff and students who are planning to travel internationally for personal reasons - including travel over spring break - we strongly suggest avoiding travel to countries listed on the CDC's Risk Assessment page. Community members intending to travel should consider the risks associated with international travel, including, but not limited to:

  • not being allowed to leave a country if a travel ban to/from that country were to be issued; 
  • not being allowed to enter into a country if they are traveling from a country considered "at risk"; 
  • being placed into mandatory quarantine because they show symptoms of the Coronavirus or because they have traveled – potentially even if only for a connecting flight – from a country that is considered at-risk.

You should also be aware that the U.S. government is barring entry to most people on non-immigrant visas who have visited China or Iran in the last 14 days and will be screening recent travelers from Italy and South Korea. 

For those of you who must travel internationally, we urge you to monitor the latest travel-related notices from the CDC and U.S. Department of State to make sure you will be able to get into and out of the countries you plan to visit. This information is being updated constantly. If possible, the safest option is to postpone your trip until the outbreak diminishes. If that is not possible, we encourage you to explore travel-related insurance options to ensure you are able to obtain medical treatment and/or be evacuated in the event of an emergency. CalArts community members who plan on traveling internationally for personal business are also encouraged to complete the International Travel Form - as doing so will allow us to contact you if your local situation changes.

Personal Domestic Travel

At this time, the CDC does not have a COVID-19 travel health notice for the Continental United States or Hawaii. However, we nonetheless encourage community members to be thoughtful in their planning for personal travel.

International Students

International Students should check-in with the Office of International Students and Programs if they have an urgent need to travel to the coronavirus-affected areas. The Office of International Students and Programs also reminds international students who are planning to travel outside the U.S. during spring break, or any other time, to have a valid travel signature on their I-20. They are also recommending having the following travel documents on hand:

  • Print an I-94 travel record and travel with it. The incubation period (the time it takes for symptoms to show) is up to 14 days. The I-94 history will show the entry and departure dates to and from the U.S.
  • Carry the used plane tickets (for the same reason).
  • An enrollment verification letter from the Office of the Registrar showing proof of full-time enrollment.
  • Proof of registration for the spring semester at CalArts.
  • A printout of the Presidential Proclamation.

To keep information and resources in a central location, we have set up a special webpage: calarts.edu/coronavirus. Please bookmark this page to stay up-to-date.