OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The outbreak of the coronavirus is growing nationwide -- Michigan health officials confirmed Friday an Oakland County resident is being tested for coronavirus after traveling to China within the last two weeks.
As of Saturday, there are at 724 confirmed deaths worldwide from the virus -- including one American and more than 35,000 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide.
A student with Western Michigan University traveled to China to study is now stranded there while the country works to contain the virus.
Dylan Tullett is trying to make the best of the travel restrictions that keep him confined to a village in southern China.
“Shortly after I arrived here, I heard about the virus and after that they blocked off the roads," Tullett said. "I guess I’m going to be stuck here for the month of February.”
Tullett, a native of Grand Rapids, has been studying Mandarin at a university in Beijing. He’s been keeping people updated on his situation through social media.
WMU established a new policy to not send students to China while the outbreak is a concern, but Tullett was already there.
He said he’s in close contact with school advisers as he figures out what to do next.
Tullett said he hasn’t contact the U.S. Embassy yet and is hopeful he will be able to finish his studies in Beijing.