UF students who recently rallied for Israel at a conference with government officials were unknowingly exposed to two New York attendees who were later confirmed to have coronavirus.
AIPAC, or American Israel Public Affairs Committee, held its annual national policy conference in Washington, D.C, from March 1 to March 3. Vice-President Mike Pence and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the speakers who attended and discussed developments in the American-Israeli relationship.
Three days after the conference, two attendees tested positive for the virus, AIPAC announced in a tweet.
About 60 UF students were at the conference, said Katie Hernandez, the UF AIPAC liaison and Gators for Israel president. Forty of those students are affiliated with Gators for Israel, a pro-Israel group at UF.
There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Gainesville as of Sunday evening.
UF has already canceled all university-sponsored travel to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea because of the virus, and students who were in those countries within the past 14 days will not be permitted on UF campus.
However, the university may not have a plan for students who attended the conference.
“There are currently no CDC guidelines or restrictions for domestic travel,” UF spokesperson Steve Orlando wrote in a text Saturday. “So, there would be no procedure.”
Student conferencegoers don’t need to self-quarantine, Orlando said. This is because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advice is the same for those returning from locations with confirmed cases, and the students haven’t been in direct contact with infected people.
Still, Orlando said they should monitor their health over a period of 14 days and contact the UF Student Health Care Center or a doctor if they show symptoms of fever, significant cough or shortness of breath.
The virus could also potentially affect the U.S. and Israeli government officials who were at the conference.
Former Democratic presidential candidates Mike Bloomberg and Cory Booker spoke at the conference, and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar gave video speeches. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders boycotted the conference.
Hernandez, a 20-year-old agricultural communication and education junior, said Gators for Israel reaches out to students who are “potential pro-Israel activists” and encourages them to attend the conference.
AIPAC isn’t looking for one particular type of student, Hernandez said. She said they reach out to students from organizations such as Student Government, Hispanic Student Association and Black Student Union to help garner support for the pro-Israel movement.
“Israel has something for everyone,” she said.
Although the UF conference attendants don’t believe they were within six feet of the infected individuals, Hernandez said they’ve already contacted the UF Student Health Care Center to report the risk of spreading the virus. They’re also following CDC guidelines, she said.
UF plans to continue providing updates on coronavirus. Anyone with questions can contact the UF Student Health Care Center Special Clinics nurse at 352-294-7472.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that some candidates gave video speeches and that Bernie Sanders boycotted the conference. The Alligator originally reported differently.
Contact Grethel Aguila at gaguila@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @GrethelAguila.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
