KENT, Ohio -- Kent State University announced Saturday it is requiring all students studying in Florence, Italy to return to the United States due to the developing Wuhan coronavirus crisis in Italy.

The announcement came one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 3 travel health “warning,” which recommends that people avoid all nonessential travel to Italy.

In a news release, Kent State did not specify the number of students studying in Florence - the university’s only Italian study-abroad program - but said the university has started making their travel arrangements.

“The university is working directly with all students to ensure they may continue their studies without interruption,” the release states. “Our students’ health and safety is our foremost priority, and we believe these steps are necessary for their protection.”

Florence Mayor Dario Nardella wrote a letter to Kent State on Friday saying most of the Italian outbreaks of the coronavirus have been in the northern part of the country, with “just a few" infections reported in Florence and Tuscany and three confirmed patients placed under quarantine.

Earlier this month, Kent State issued a temporary restriction on all university-sponsored trips to China in response to the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

There have been more than 86,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including more than 2,900 deaths - about 30 of which have been in Italy. On Saturday, health officials announced that a man in Washington state died of the virus, marking the first such reported death in the United States.

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