SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The 49 University of Rhode Island students who were studying abroad in Italy are now returning back to the United States due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak occurring globally, URI spokesman David Lavallee confirmed Wednesday morning.
Last Friday, URI sent an email to the campus community stating at the time it wasn’t asking students to return stateside, but those plans could change. Lavallee said URI corresponded with the students over the weekend informing them to “start making plans” to come back to the U.S. Lavallee said most of the students were located in southern Italy. The country, along with China, Iran and South Korea, is currently under a Level 3 travel advisory by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asking people to “avoid nonessential travel.”
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In late January, URI suspended its three study-abroad programs in China due to the outbreak.
URI is asking the students to return to their respective homes, and not to the campus, to self-quarantine for two weeks, Lavallee said.
“That’s the timeframe when we need to make sure people aren’t sick or contagious,” Lavallee said. He also said URI will help the students with their academic requirements regarding internships that couldn’t be completed as a result of the early end to the Italy program.
Regarding travel during spring break, which is next week for URI, the university is advising students to not travel to countries that have high-risk advisories, such as Italy and China, Lavallee said. URI is offering advice to students who are traveling to lower-risk areas, Lavallee said, “but not telling them that they shouldn’t go.”
The university’s international service partner has already canceled URI’s alternative spring break program to Guatemala. Other local colleges have made similar decisions regarding international travel and programming.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
