Wake Forest: COVID-19 study abroad update

This message was sent on March 10.

You are receiving this message as you are a student (or have a student) currently studying abroad on a WFU-sponsored program in Europe. Students please also share this message with your parents/families in case there are any issues with their spam filters or email servers.

Dear WFU Study Abroad Students and Parents/Families,

As the COVID-19 situation develops across the globe, we are writing to give you an update on our current plans with respect to the continuation of our spring semester study abroad programs. For the moment, all of WFU abroad programs (with the exception of Casa Artom in Venice) continue to operate as scheduled. That said, we are monitoring each of our locations individually and are basing future decisions on the same factors we used when deciding to suspend the Venice program. These factors include:

• Advisory Levels (CDC Levels 2 and 3 and U.S. State Department Levels 3 and 4)
• Travel and mobility restrictions (local, quarantines, airline, train, etc.)
• Ability of local faculty and staff to perform their jobs normally
• Local university closures
• Health care infrastructure and capabilities in city in which program is based

University officials will be meeting tomorrow (03/11) for continued discussions regarding the COVID-19 situation. Changes to or new information in any of the factors above may cause us to reconsider our risk assessment for an individual location. Should that be the case, then we will update you immediately.

Independent Travel: Taking into account the unpredictability of the current environment, until further notice, we are strongly recommending against all personal travel outside the cities where our programs are based. Students are advised to make adjustments to their travel plans and to consider the risk that they can be subject to quarantine, border screenings, and other restrictions if they leave their host city or country. WFU will be limited in our ability to assist students in the case of quarantine or if they are unable to re-enter their host city or country. Students who do decide to take part in independent travel must register that travel with on-site staff per normal procedures.

As always, the health and safety of all members of our community is our highest priority. We understand this situation is challenging for everyone involved as we respond to these unprecedented circumstances. If you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact me.

All best,

David F. Taylor
Assistant Dean for Global Study Away
Wake Forest University