COVID-19 Webinar Resources
February 26th
Higher Education
COVID-19 Higher Education
Q&A Session webinar recording
Our medical and security specialists are continuing to monitor the Coronavirus COVID-19 evolving situation to provide accurate information on how to mitigate further risks. We recorded a special Q&A webinar on February 26, 2020, which provided the latest updates for our higher education clients and answered important questions.
For more information, please visit: pandemic.internationalsos.com/2019-ncov
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
We hope the Frequently Asked Questions for higher education institutions below will help with most queries. The answers are up to date as of February 26, 2020. If you can't find the answer to your question, feel free to contact us by email or call the Philadelphia Assistance Center at +1 215 942 8226.
Q. Should my current program in (Italy, South Korea, Japan, etc.) continue?
A. The answer to this question will vary for each institution. First we recommend that each institution identifies a risk threshold. The second factor is the proximity of your program to the current outbreak and how that proximity changes your threshold.
Q. If it continues, what is the trigger for suspending it?
A. The trigger might be having cases in the location, an outbreak nearby or travel restrictions against people coming from a certain country. However, we know that sometimes the triggers will then make it difficult or impossible to move. It is important to highlight this level of complexity. If you decide to continue, you run the risk of not being able to move students if the situation changes.
Q. Should my program in Country X scheduled for April/May/June/etc. continue?
A. Again, it depends, and we can’t predict the future. The projections of the disease could lead to a global pandemic, which could severely restrict travel. It might be too early to cancel any future programs, but clients should understand their deadlines for making the decision.
Q. If we don’t suspend current programs, how do we prepare for possible suspension?
A. There are many ways to prepare, and we can help you with this. But to start, we recommend a checklist of names, passport info, flight info, contact number and current address in preparation for having to move quickly. We also recommend identifying upcoming weekend and spring break travel plans for any students currently in your program.
Q. How do I start that preparation without igniting fear?
A. It is time to have the difficult conversation with the trip leaders, students and parents about the situation. If programs are to continue, they have to prepare for possible suspension. That means providing guidance around weekend/spring break travel, having students notify where they are traveling in some situations. If schools can’t prepare to mitigate the risk they may choose to avoid it and the only way to avoid it is to suspend the programs.
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