Fear of SARS Leads to UC-Berkeley Not Accepting Asian Students

New students from China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong are not welcome at the University of California, Berkeley, this summer because of fears about the deadly respiratory virus SARS.

The decision affects several hundred students who were planning to attend Berkeley for summer school sessions, which begin May 27th. Those students will get their money back.

In a written message, Chancellor Robert Berdahl said the policy will end if the Centers for Disease Control lifts travel advisories to those countries. Students entering the school in the fall will have to fill out detailed questionnaires and be monitored by university health officials for ten days. Berkeley is also developing procedures for students returning from those areas.

There have been no SARS cases at UC-Berkeley.