Large gatherings are being "reviewed", staff are being prepared for the possibility of part- or whole-campus closures, and alternative assessment procedures may be needed over coming months.

The university, which is heavily involved with international students, has for several days been asked questions by the Mercury about its coronavirus response, with little response.

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On Thursday night a statement was sent out which said international travel had been banned indefinitely, exchange programs had been suspended, and international travellers should know there may be restrictions on re-entry to Australia.

"The university has announced an immediate moratorium on all international university travel by staff and students to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19," a UOW spokesman said.

"The travel moratorium took effect from yesterday and will be in force until further notice.

"Staff undertaking personal international travel while on leave have been asked to closely monitor the government's Smart Traveller website for travel updates, including possible re-entry restrictions as information regarding travel and entry to Australia is changing often and quickly.

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"University international student travel sanctioned by UOW will also cease until further notice."

The burning issue for staff, many of whom are employed as casuals, had been whether they would have a secure income if classes had to be suspended. Their union, the NTEU, had so far been disappointed with the UOW response.

The UOW spokesman reiterated the university's position of not commenting on these matters, saying it would not conduct staff negotiations "via the media".

Meanwhile, events involving large gatherings of people were being "reviewed", and staff had been given "additional training" on remote delivery of coursework, in case campus closures may be required, UOW said.

There may be a need for alternative assessment methods, depending on how the pandemic affects people's movement over the coming months.

"Remote delivery of courses via online platforms has been implemented wherever practicable, with technology solutions developed and deployed," the spokesman said.

"Additional training has been provided for staff so that they can deliver teaching and enable student success. Options for alternative assessment methods are also being developed where feasible."

Outgoing Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings thanked the campus community for "pulling together" in hard times.

"These uncertain times can be quite stressful for all of us, but particularly for students who have moved to Wollongong to study and are isolated from their families while establishing new social support networks," he said.

"Although we don't yet know the full impact of COVID-19 on UOW, I am pleased to see our campus community pulling together to look after each other as we collectively confront the challenges of this disruptive outbreak."

The University Global Partnerships Network (UGPN) conference scheduled for March 30 has been postponed.