Nearly 100 Vermont students have had their study abroad programs suspended in Italy and China following outbreaks of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, which has now reached 90,000 confirmed infections worldwide.
The largest numbers of returned students came from Middlebury College, which brought back 37 students from China in January just a few weeks into a study abroad program, and another 24 in Italy after suspending that program on Saturday.
Carlos Vélez, Middlebury’s dean of international programs, said the decision was made after the U.S. State Department increased its advisory to Level 4, “Do Not Travel” in regions adjacent to where the Middlebury programs were located.
“In light of this, and because the situation is changing so rapidly, we can’t in good conscience allow you to remain in Italy,” he wrote in a letter to students.
That sentiment was shared by study abroad offices across the state.
At the University of Vermont, two students slated for travel to China had their trips canceled before departing, and 30 more students were recently informed that their programs in Italy have been suspended.
But for both the Middlebury and UVM students leaving Italy, it is now too late for them to come back to campus for the rest of the semester, and they will instead have to return home and finish their course loads online.
“It partly has to do with capacity,” Vélez said. “We really don’t have the space for them here at the moment. And the semester is already several weeks underway — they couldn’t join the courses already going on here, it would be too hard for them to do that.”
Vélez said he hasn’t heard from any angry students or parents about the cancellations. He said their office has mainly been helping people with logistical questions, when needed.
The coronavirus originated in China, where drastic measures to contain the virus appear to have slowed its spread. However, China still accounts for the vast majority of confirmed infections and some 3,000 deaths.
Fifty-eight countries had confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday evening. Italy has been the hardest hit country in Europe, with 52 deaths from the virus. Six people have died in the U.S.
New Hampshire health officials announced on Monday that an employee at Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital had tested “presumptive positive” for the virus after visiting Italy.
The state of Vermont is currently monitoring 82 people who have traveled to affected areas, according to the Vermont Department of Health. Seventeen people have completed the monitoring process, state officials have reported.
Small colleges impacted
Smaller colleges in Vermont have also had to deal with a number of semesters abroad ending prematurely, though most are operated by a third-party provider.
At St. Michael’s College, four students studying in Italy had their program suspended on Friday. At Bennington College, one student’s semester abroad in China never began, but their sole student studying in Italy’s classes are still in session.
At Northern Vermont University, part of the Vermont State Colleges System, 17 students, faculty and staff recently returned from a February break trip to France, Switzerland and Italy. VSCS administrators reported that the bus did not make any stops in towns with reported cases, and that the students are now back in Vermont and following CDC guidelines for recent travelers.
“We must anticipate and plan for the likelihood that some level of infection will occur in our state and within the VSCS itself,” Chancellor Jeb Spaulding wrote in an email to VTDigger. “The Vermont State Colleges System is preparing for the anticipated arrival of this virus at our colleges, universities, and chancellor’s office.”
At Champlain College, three students in Italy are set to return home and will work with the school on a case-by-case basis to figure out how to finish their coursework, according to Noah Goldblatt, senior director of international education.
Plans have been called off for several Champlain students who were set to study abroad in Asia, Goldblatt said. Because of the late start dates in those regions, the students were also unable to take classes at Champlain for the spring semester. He noted that a 30-student Champlain summer internship program in Shanghai has also been canceled.
“We’re worried about the spread,” Goldblatt said. “But there’s a confirmed case in New Hampshire now from a doctor that had been on a ski trip in Northern Italy. It could happen anywhere at this point.”
Champlain also has a large population of students studying in Dublin, Ireland, who are being strongly encouraged not to travel around the continent during their upcoming spring break.
“My sense from a lot of students is that there’s more concern from parents and us as administrators than from them. They see the data about at-risk populations, and they don’t feel like that’s them,” Goldblatt said.
He said Champlain is “obviously not following that line of thinking” and is trying to impress upon the students the importance of safety amidst the outbreak. He said they are “seriously thinking about” what a ban on travel around Europe could look like for those students.
“Every 12 to 24 hours, though, there’s a shift in the landscape and new hot spots for this,” he said. “So we’re taking this day by day.”
State’s response
Gov. Phil Scott has announced the creation of a task force to prepare for the spread of the virus in Vermont. The group will be comprised of representatives from 12 different departments and agencies.
Director of Vermont Emergency Management Erica Bornemann said the task force will have two primary goals: creating a response plan that identifies the agencies and resources that the state would need to deploy should an outbreak hit, and providing guidance on continuity of operations plans for state agencies to maintain the essential functions of government in case of mass closures.
“We haven’t put together a task force like this in my recent memory,” Bornemann said. “We’re really just trying to use this tool to solve an issue, and make sure we’re prepared to address any other problems that come up.”
The task force is set to have its first all-day meeting Thursday.
