UPDATE: Rice University has canceled all university-sponsored international spring break trips and faculty travel because of the coronavirus threat.

The college has had travel restrictions in place to China and Korea but has now expanded the reach, according to an alert sent out by Rice this morning.

"As a precaution given the fluid global situation, we are also requiring everyone in the Rice community who travels outside the U.S., for any reason, to register their travel" at a university website, the statement said.

Monday, March 2, 8:45 p.m.

Nasal swabs taken from a Rice University staff member under quarantine following possible exposure to the coronavirus were shipped to a federal laboratory for testing Monday, local health officials said.

Houston and Harris County public health officials at a news conference said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should receive the samples Tuesday and have results within 24 to 72 hours. The staff member came in contact with a possible coronavirus case while traveling overseas, Rice officials said.

“The CDC time frame is based on the amount of volume they have in terms of people being tested across the country,” said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, who added that the risk to the Rice campus is low at this time.

There have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Houston and Harris County so far and the only cases in Texas are 11 imported ones, two repatriated from China on a State Department-chartered flight and nine at one point quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. All were transferred to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. On Monday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg declared a local state of disaster and public health emergency in an effort to keep all of the coronavirus evacuees at the base longer rather than discharge any.

There are now more than 100 coronavirus cases in the United States and six Americans — all in Washington state — have died after contracting the virus, health officials said Monday. Globally, the disease has been confirmed in more than 90,000 people and more than 3,000 have died.

Rice said in a news release Monday that the school has identified and recommended that 17 people — faculty, doctoral students and staff who came in contact with the staff member being tested for the disease — “self-isolate and “follow heightened precautions in locations off the main campus.”

“The university is working closely with them to ensure their well-being,” officials said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus fears disrupt Rice University, cancel CERAWeek

Rice didn’t say where the employee traveled, but noted it was not a country on the CDC’s restricted travel list. They said the employee had limited contact with the campus on Feb. 24 and 25 and that Rice public safety officers took immediate action once they learned about the case Saturday. The staff member didn’t have direct contact with any undergraduate students and has not been in any residential college or campus classroom since returning to Houston on Feb. 20.

Houston and Harris County officials gave no additional details about the case, which became public Sunday when Rice notified the campus community in a news release. The Houston and Harris County health departments, like the state health department, are not reporting suspected cases of the coronavirus, just confirmed cases.

The officials acknowledged that there have been previous samples sent to the CDC for testing, all of which have returned negative. They would not give any approximation of the number.

Rice said in its news releases that there are no plans to suspend campus activities or classes. But it added that the university is reviewing university-sponsored student trips scheduled for spring break and is expected to make a decision about those trips soon.

The latest Rice news comes a day after organizers of CERAWeek by IHS Markit, an oil and gas industry conference set to bring thousands of international visitors to Houston the week of March 9-13, announced they are canceling the week-long event.

In response to the virus, RodeoHouston — which draws thousands to NRG Park over its three-week run — has increased the number of hand sanitizer stations or hand-washing stations throughout rodeo venues.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas scrambles to prepare for coronavirus outbreak now moving into next phase

Texas universities are taking similar precautions, particularly on travel.

Texas A&M University System on Monday issued a list of new restrictions on student-related foreign travel, advising students, faculty, staff and visitors traveling from countries with high-risk levels to self-isolate for a two-week period before returning to school or work.

The university system stated that it will provide information and updates on its websites and social media, and that it has plans to create an expert medical response team.

Prairie View A&M University has canceled and postponed remaining spring break study abroad trips until later in the semester, according to a university spokeswoman.

Texas universities previously clamped down on student and faculty travel to China, but a number of them — the University of Texas-Austin, Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor University — extended restrictions on college-funded travel to include South Korea last week.

Staff writer Joey Guerra contributed to this report.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

brittany.britto@chron.com