2 New Mexico State students self-quarantined — 1 in El Paso — after returning from Italy trip

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Two New Mexico State University students who returned from a trip to Italy are under self-quarantine as a precaution against the coronavirus, the university confirmed Tuesday night to ABC-7.

Both students are undergoing the quarantine process at home — one in El Paso and the other in Truth Or Consequences, according to a published report.

NMSU spokeswoman Minerva Baumann said the pair had been studying abroad and returned home last week. She told ABC-7 that neither student has shown any symptoms.

Earlier Tuesday, it was disclosed at an El Paso County Commissioners Court meeting that one test had been administered for coronavirus so far, and it came back negative. It was unknown if that test involved the NMSU student now at home in El Paso.

Also Tuesday, the state of New Mexico indicated it still doesn't have any confirmed cases of the disease. But it wasn't known if the student from Truth or Consequences had been tested.

The two students made it out of Italy just in time, as officials there imposed a nationwide lockdown this week in the hopes of reducing the spread of the virus. As of Tuesday, more than 10,000 people had tested positive for the virus in Italy, with a total of 631 deaths.

NMSU's study abroad office back in January cancelled plans to send students to China, where the virus originated, after the U.S. State Department advised against Americans traveling there.