GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) — UW – Green Bay professors took a comprehensive look at the threat of and response to the Coronavirus Thursday afternoon at the Christie Theatre.

The event, called “Virus Without Borders” took place from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

UW – Green Bay Professors Chris Vandenhouten (Nursing and Global Studies), Rebecca Hovarter (Nursing), and Brian Merkel (Human Biology) will cover symptoms of the virus, testing and treatment options, the current state of the outbreak, the effectiveness of a quarantine, vaccine development, and other topics related to COVID-19.

The panel also spoke about how the community can help prevent the person-to-person spread of the virus.

“We have to be careful that we let students know that if they’re sick, they should stay home,” Vandenhouten said. “That goes for students and anybody, whether it’s Covid-19 or influenza, if somebody’s sick with respiratory symptoms and a fever they really need to stay home so we can curb the threat.”

Other tips include washing hands, covering mouths when sneezing or coughing, and wiping down surfaces with disinfectant.

Merkel added that if someone does start displaying signs of Covid-19, they should call the doctor instead of heading out to a clinic.

“Share your symptoms, what’s going on, and then they will give you the best path,” he said, “to follow to not only give you the attention you need for what’s going on with your infection but at the same time avoid infecting other people.”

Brian Blahnik, the Director of International Education at UWGB was also on-hand to address concerns with the school’s study abroad program.

He told Local 5 that about 50-percent of upcoming study abroad trips have been canceled, and said that some students have been brought home due to the threat.

He would not say from which countries due to student privacy concerns, and added that the situation overseas is very fluid.

“It’s maybe not necessarily hour by hour, but it certainly is day by day,” He said, “so we are constantly monitoring, constantly communicating, constantly evaluating situations and making decisions there. I do anticipate there will be additional changes in the days and weeks ahead.”