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U.S. Colleges And Universities Cancel Study Abroad Programs Amid Coronavirus Fears

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American colleges and universities are bringing home students in study abroad programs over fears of the coronavirus.

Collegiate institutions across the country are bringing students in study abroad programs back to the U.S. as the virus escalates. More than 3,000 people worldwide have died from the coronavirus so far.

The University of Dallas, a Catholic school based in Texas, announced on Monday that the school would begin repatriating students from its study abroad program in Rome, Italy.

“We are confident our students remain safe on our Rome campus due to its remoteness from affected areas. However, given the fluidness of the situation in Italy, we will begin to repatriate students immediately,” the university president Thomas Hibbs said in a release.

The University of Texas at San Antonio similarly announced that all students studying abroad in Italy had returned to the U.S. after being recalled by the school.

Other colleges and universities suspending or cancelling study abroad programs in Italy include the University of Notre Dame, Villanova University, Gonzaga University, Fairfield University, Florida International University, Syracuse University, Boston College, and Elon University, according to CNN.

My daughter just flew home from Italy, where her study abroad program was cancelled due to Coronavirus. She had recently been in Venice, which is a hot spot. Zero screening. They didn’t even take her temperature.#Coronovirus #CoronavirusOutbreak https://t.co/ZARE9QTpMj

— Hassan Zavareei (@hzavareei) February 27, 2020

The Catholic University of America called for all students in university study abroad programs to return to the United States.

The University of Tennessee, Florida International University, University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of Georgia are cancelling spring study abroad programs in South Korea and calling for students to return to the United States, CNN reports.

The publication notes that Florida International University’s study abroad programs in Singapore and Japan have also been cancelled, and the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Tennessee have cancelled programs and recalled students from China.