Update- Novel coronavirus: Decision to terminate current program in China
Jennifer McKendree
YFU Global Office has taken the decision to terminate the program for international students in China.
After carefully considering the information coming in from different sources, the YFU Global Office, after consultation with the IOC and YFU China, has taken the decision to terminate the program for the currently 19 international students in China. The return travel is planned to be organized for this week. It should be noted here that none of the 19 students were from the USA.
the YFU Global Office based this decision on:
The closing of schools, forcing students to remain effectively locked within their host family homes, with no real certainty of when they may open again;
Increased concern by host families for the risk to students and families as contagion spreads;
The position of universities and exchange programs around the world, including AFS, to suspend programs in Mainland China and Hong Kong;
The decision of many governments to impose travel restrictions to and from China, the exact details of which are evolving rapidly and which are potentially involving quarantine periods for foreign nationals returning from China;
The increasingly difficult and panicked relationships with Natural Parents from sending organizations;
The position of many major airlines to suspend traffic to and from mainland China and Hong Kong, reducing our ability to react if the situation worsens rapidly;
YFU Global takes the view that, whilst the risk of students being at danger from contracting the virus is potentially low, there is a large likelihood that the situation will deteriorate to the extent that students are unable ultimately to benefit from the exchange experience.
Our first duty is to our participants and host families; we can still react now to bring students back home; however, it is not clear that we will still have that ability in the weeks to come. We are choosing to act now.
There is currently no suggestion that this will affect upcoming Inbound programs to China in PY 2020-2021. The Global Office will continue to work with YFU China and international partners moving forward to support operations in and out of China so that, to the extent that it is possible, the effect on operations is contained.
A big Thank You goes to YFU China, its staff, volunteers and host families, for the amazing work being done during what is an extraordinarily difficult time. Even though they consider the risk for students to be low at this time, they understand and agree with this decision.