Dear AFS-USA Volunteers,
Since I wrote to you last week, the situation at hand with the COVID-19/coronavirus has continuously been changing, oftentimes by the hour. Over the last two weeks, we’ve endeavored to provide relevant information, from an AFS-USA perspective, to host families, sending parents, schools, and volunteers.
I realize that you’ve probably been fielding questions from students, families, schools, and other volunteers – questions that are, in some cases, seemingly impossible to answer. To help staff respond to some of the most common questions, we’ve compiled a set of FAQ’s that I am sharing with you as well (below).
Over the last several days, I’ve addressed some of the concerns of host families, host schools, and natural parents by providing them with information from a national perspective. All of these messages are accessible to you below.
With a situation that is constantly changing, the questions and responses will also change. In many situations, there simply aren’t any concrete answers. Via the correspondence I’ve received from some volunteers and host families over the past two days, I can already see a significant diversity in the way people are reacting to the virus. Some questions that have been presented to me reflect a desire for answers to possible scenarios in the future, such as how we might manage an aspect of a year program departing in August.
AFS is not in a position to speculate on what may or may not happen, nor what we *might* do or *could* do, or advise people on what they *should* do. That said, AFS has no plan to terminate any current programs, nor suspend any future programs at this point in time.
If you encounter students, parents and host families posing questions that seek a speculative response, I ask that your advice be simple – that we are monitoring the advice of the CDC , the US Department of State, and other public health organizations/ governmental agencies and we will make decisions based on verifiable information and advice at a time closer to the event or activity to which they are referring.
Unfortunately, this may not be the answer that our stakeholders are seeking, but as this situation is rapidly evolving, we cannot provide concrete answers on situations that might occur weeks or months from now.
Another point I’d like to mention relates to the daily news reports regarding colleges and universities cancelling their study abroad programs. It’s important to note that their study abroad students are adults, a sizable percentage of them living in dorms, and making their own decisions relating to their health. High school programs like ours, as you know, are quite different. An AFS student is under the care of a family and a network of volunteers. Their health and safety are monitored by and, to some extent, controlled by their AFS family and volunteers. For a university program, it’s quite the opposite and, as such, they cannot oversee their participants’ day-to-day needs, behaviors, and risks. Our reality is different from theirs and therefore our decisions are based on factors that differ from theirs. In short, we should take care not to compare an AFS program to a university-level study abroad program.
Meanwhile, I hope that the FAQ’s (below) will be helpful in answering these difficult but very valid questions and concerns. You’ll also find copies of all of the communications we’ve sent to various stakeholders – host families, schools, sending parents, etc. I ask that you visit regularly for our most recent communications.
This is a difficult time, made even more difficult because there are so few certainties. I appreciate all that you are doing to help us in moving through this challenging time. We’ll do our best to keep you advised of any updates, announcements, etc.
As we move forward, it would be helpful for me to know what kinds of questions you are getting, so please write to me and share them at president@afsusa.org.
With warmest regards,
Tara M. Hofmann
President & CEO
AFS-USA, Inc.
View the email sent to host families
View the email sent to natural parents
View the email sent to schools
View the email sent to current hosted students (Core Program)
View the email sent to current hosted students (Sponsored Programs)
Frequently asked questions
AFS-USA, our global AFS Partners, and AFS International are monitoring the COVID-19/coronavirus situation by the hour, and adjusting accordingly to the latest verifiable information. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that we’ve received:
Is it safer to remain at the host family home (and away from public spaces and gatherings) or to travel through airports? We have no verifiable information to back up this claim either way.
What is the current or potential quarantine procedure upon their arrival in the US? It isn’t clear but, should it become necessary, we will formulate a plan.
Are the participants safe? Our first concern is always participant safety.
Are participants likely to remain safe if they continue to stay with their host families, taking recommended precautions? There is no verifiable information to support or negate this claim.
What are the current travel and health alerts saying from the WHO, CDC, and various embassies?Taking Italy as an example, the elevated threat level is in a very limited area of northern Italy, but it is not the only factor that AFS uses. We also consult regularly with our travel safety specialists and health care providers and others to evaluate the situation.
Are airlines stopping service that might prevent us from evacuating participants quickly when and if necessary? This is currently not happening in any AFS country where AFS participants are currently being hosted.
How much additional risk are we placing participants in by having them travel now versus later? This is, of course, uncertain, but we feel the best option right now is for participants to continue their AFS program with their host families.
Are schools likely to be closed for longer than two weeks, making the school program nonviable? At this stage, only some countries have closed schools in certain towns, cities, or areas. In Italy, as announced on March 4th, all schools will be closing for two weeks.
Do we have any reason to doubt the veracity and accuracy of the data being shared by the host country government? We believe the information, thus far, has been accurate, and we are cross-checking our information across many different sources.