Wayne State suspends studying abroad for spring break due to coronavirus
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Spring Break Studying Abroad has been put on hold by Wayne State University over coronavirus concerns.
Some Wayne State University students are scrambling to make last minute plans. They got the email this evening that study abroad was called off because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The university says it all comes down to safety.
Wayne State University freshman Victoria Pilut was set to leave next week for Brazil. Now she's thinking about a back-up plan.
"I was really upset and mad at first, then I was sad," she said. "Then I realized if they called it off it must be for the best."
In total WSU canceled eight spring break trips. Other destinations included Paris, London and Toronto.
"It's really out of an abundance of caution because of the fast developments with the spread of the disease we didn't want our students to be stuck at an airport or quarantined unnecessarily," Ahmad Ezzeddine, said associate vice president, educational outreach and international programs.
As for whether Summer Study Abroad will be called off, that is still up in the air. Students planning to go to China, are also starting to feel uncertain.
"It does make me a little nervous, because we don't know what's going to happen but I'm sure the university knows what to do," said Priya Sharma, planning to study abroad summer 2020.
The university says it is too soon to tell what could happen to future trips. Meanwhile they are tracking developments from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And they are asking students for a little flexibility.
"We want to make sure we aren't putting our students and faculty in these positions where they have to make those decisions on their own or stuck somewhere we can't reach them ourselves and provide the support that's necessary," said Ezzeddine.
"I'm still upset about it but you just have to move on look at it in a positive way," said Pilut. "I think everything happens for a reason."
