On Sunday, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement calling for any American students that are studying abroad to return home. Additionally, the directive also implores Institutions of Higher Educations (IHE) to “consider asking students participating in study abroad programs to return to the United States”. The CDC would give no further comment on this vaguely worded warning, but in the last paragraph, they stated “The COVID-19 situation is dynamic. Given the speed of spread and the number of countries experiencing community transmission, IHEs should evaluate the risks associated with choosing to maintain programs abroad and take the appropriate proactive measures.” This indicates the assertion could be taken to mean all foreign exchange students currently residing in the United States, or any American citizens studying abroad in a foreign country should be sent home.
Already, the effects of this declaration towards universities are being felt by students. On the European side of things, Florida State’s Florence study abroad program in Italy has already been sent home to complete the semester online. FSU London is monitoring the situation closely, and have begun to speak of contingency plans, but as of right now nothing is happening. This campus does face the possibility of being sent home. FSU Valencia students may be in jeopardy with Trump’s new travel bans to 26 different European countries. On US soil, campuses all across the country are resorting to “Distance Learning”; this is when all in-person classes are canceled and transferred to an online medium. This measure has subsequently led to the shutdown of all in group facilities on campus including the closing of residence halls and dining halls. In Florida alone, most state schools such as the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, Florida International University and private school Nova Southeastern University have all gone to distance learning. Any major school endorsed spring break trips or travel plans have also been canceled per CDC guidelines.
In addition to this statement is the reinforcement of hygiene, symptoms and general ways to avoid the disease. They reiterate the importance of washing your hands properly and often; staying away from places where there are groups of more than twenty people; keeping your distance from individuals; avoid touching your face with unclean hands and to be vigilant in keeping your space disinfected and clean. It is contagious, spread by people and universities including Florida State University are now recommending self-quarantine if you have traveled anywhere in the past two weeks. Symptoms are coughing, fever and trouble breathing, as it is a respiratory disease. The UK has recently decided to shift its plan of attack from ‘containment’ or trying to keep the disease from spreading to ‘delay’, where they are now trying to mitigate its spread. This announcement from the CDC, especially since the World Health Organization has officially branded coronavirus as a pandemic, has now begun to push American universities into a direction of proactivity but also prevention when it comes to this widespread disease.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!