SU Abroad suspends Florence program as coronavirus spreads
Daily Orange File Photo
At least 322 people in Italy have contracted the coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon, and 10 people have died. No students appear to have the virus.
Syracuse University has suspended its study abroad program in Florence, Italy amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Students in SU’s Florence Center were notified of the decision during a meeting with program officials Tuesday. The meeting was originally intended to be a Q&A session about the coronavirus. The Daily Orange obtained footage of the meeting.
“A decision has been made, literally (a) few minutes ago, to suspend the program,” said Sasha Perugini, director of SU’s Florence program, during the meeting. “The last day of classes is basically today.”
The students are being asked to leave the program by Sunday, Perugini said.
At least 322 people in Italy have contracted the coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon, and 10 people have died, The Wall Street Journal reported. The coronavirus, a respiratory disease, causes flu-like symptoms such as fever and coughing. Health officials believe the disease originated in Wuhan, China.
The university is working with students in the Florence program to help them return to the United States, said Steven Bennett, senior vice president for international programs and academic operations, in a SU News release. The students will not return to Main Campus until after spring break, he said. Spring break ends March 22.
Advantage Travel of CNY, which provides travel arrangements for study abroad programs, is coordinating with SU Abroad to offer flights to students, according to an email sent to students in the program.
SU Abroad suspended all student-life activities and field trips outside SU’s Florence Center on Monday to comply with orders from the Italian Public Authorities. The university expects Italy’s Ministry of Public Education to shut down classes at public universities as the disease spreads, Perugini said.
New York University shut down its study abroad program in Florence on Monday due to the spread of the virus, according to the New York Post. Students must leave Italy by Thursday. NYU’s closure of its program factored into SU’s decision, Perugini said.
Published on February 25, 2020 at 3:41 pm
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