Update: Travel Guidelines Regarding COVID-19
Editors Note: This article is from March 4, 2020. For the most up-to-date information regarding 快活app's COVID-19 travel guidelines, please visit our COVID-19 Travel & Visiting Campus webpage.
On 听March 1, the CDC issued a public statement,听, encouraging U.S. higher education institutions to 鈥consider听asking current program participants [on student foreign exchange programs] to return to their home country.鈥 After careful听consideration听with our health and safety partners discussed below, the 快活app has determined to continue with currently approved travel. 听
We will continue to closely monitor the spread of COVID-19 in countries where we currently have travelers and where registered travelers who are known to be heading in the coming weeks.听We take our health and safety evaluation seriously, and as part of that evaluation, we听assess CDC country-specific alerts, U.S. governmental guidance including the Department of State, information from our security provider, International SOS, and benchmark听with other U.S. based institutions.
Current University policy restricts all academic and business-related travel for students and employees to mainland China, South Korea, Italy听and Iran. Given the dynamic and fluid nature of the outbreak, we encourage travelers to continually check the University鈥檚听higher-risk destination list听for any new information.
The University evaluates a variety of information sources when considering changes to the travel policy, which include,听but are not limited to: 听
- An elevation in the CDC alert level to a 3 (鈥渁void non-essential travel鈥 recommendation) for a specific country
- An elevation in the U.S. State Department advisory level for a country to a Level 3 鈥渞econsider travel鈥 and/or a Level 4 鈥渄o not travel鈥
- The host country or U.S. government and/or our security provider recommends evacuation or immediate departure for foreign visitors or U.S. citizens
Note that international travelers may face travel restrictions, quarantines听or additional border screening processes at any time, should U.S. or local governments enact such measures. It is difficult to foresee these changes, so we encourage travelers to continually monitor developments and plan accordingly.
The University will continue to keep a watchful eye for changes in the current situation and will communicate important updates with you in the coming weeks before programs depart.
Keep in mind that you and participants can contact International听SOS, our security and emergency assistance provider,听directly听any time to speak with a medical and/or security specialist to discuss the current situation and ask any questions that you may have. You can听contact听ISOS听directly听by calling +1-215-942-8478 and provide them with our member ID: 11BSGC000067.