Increased coronavirus precautions for university students abroad


Friday, February 28, 2020

U.S. college and university students participating in study abroad programs have increased concerns as coronavirus continues to spread across the world.



Study abroad programs located within close proximity to China, the origin country of COVID19, are not the only ones affected by increasing concern regarding coronavirus. There are cases popping up all over the world. 

In Italy, one of the most popular study abroad locations for U.S. students, there have been 400 confirmed cases as of this week. The number of cases increased 25% overnight.

Grace Palmeri, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student who is currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy, has shared what she has noticed so far during the 2020 school year.

“There aren’t as many tourists, and more and more people are wearing masks,” shared Palmeri as she described the scene in Florence. “The local supermarkets are selling out of masks and hand sanitizer, and my roommates and I have stocked up on all cleaning supplies for at least the next few weeks. … I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned about the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, but I am doing everything I can to stay safe and healthy.”

Palmeri and her roommates take precautions such as choosing to opt out of a planned trip to Milan, a northern Italian city that has born the brunt of the viral outbreak. Even with all the increased concern regarding coronavirus, Palmeri, like many of her fellow college classmates studying abroad, has no intentions of returning early to the U.S.

However, an increasing number of colleges and universities are canceling or suspending their study abroad programs. 

Purdue University has announced the suspension of all university-related travel to China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, and Japan. These are nations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified as countries where there’s a higher risk of contracting the virus.

In a statement released earlier this week, the university stated, “The university’s public health committee will continue to monitor CDC updates, will take additional steps if any countries are added to the list, and will notify the campus community of any changes to current practice.”

Northwestern University officials have shared that one of their students was studying abroad in Florence as part of Syracuse University’s study abroad program. Syracuse University made the decision to pull out all students, citing the coronavirus threat. The Northwestern University student is now returning to the U.S. to complete the rest of the semester.

The University of Chicago has closed its campus in Hong Kong and center in Beijing. All its programs have been postponed or relocated. 

UChicago spokesman Gerald McSwiggan said, “The paramount goal is maintaining the safety of faculty, students, staff and visitors.”

Nationwide, a growing number of colleges and universities continue to pull students out of higher-risk countries due to coronavirus concerns. 

New York University will suspend its operations at its Florence, Italy campus and hold classes remotely on March 2. The university will hold classes remotely on March 2 and is urging students to leave Florence as soon as possible.

Florida International University has also restricted travel to Italy, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Students and employees have been told to return to the U.S. immediately.

Palmeri shares that she plans to continue studying abroad in Italy unless her university or host institution asks her to leave. 

“This isn’t the ideal situation and I, of course, wish it wasn’t happening the time we are all studying abroad,” Palmeri says. “I think the only thing we can do at this point is do whatever we can to prevent this virus and be as careful as possible.”




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