Coronavirus forces some WNY college students to return to US

Coronavirus
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Colleges in Western New York are requiring that some students return to the United States from their respective study abroad program due to coronavirus.

Daemen College and Niagara University are two examples of local colleges that have made the move in the wake of the spread of the virus that has claimed more than 3,000 lives. Daemen brought a student back from Italy while Niagara University made a student return from a trip to South Korea.

"We don't want to do anything that's going to put a student in harm's way," Daemen's Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Greg Nayor, said. "We want to monitor it as close as we possibly can and that's what we've been doing ever since the outbreak occurred. But we also don't want to overreact. "

Nayor said a security team with the global programs office at the college called an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreak. The school on Monday sent students an e-mail highlighting recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wellness reminders.

Even though one student from Niagara University was forced to return to the United States from their trip in South Korea, other students who are studying abroad are affected by the virus and its concerns.

"We have a program that allows students to study for five weeks in Limerick (Ireland) and five weeks in Paris and five weeks in Rome," Niagara University's Vice President of International Relations, Dr. Deborah Curtis, said.  "They're now going to stay in Paris for the last ten weeks of school, rather than make a trip to Rome. We also did cancel a trip to Northern Italy that was scheduled to leave ten days from (Monday)."

Neither representatives were worried about long-term impact that the virus will have on a study abroad program. Both suggested that it's a strong reminder that anything can happen.

"Be prepared," Curtis said.

"Every few years there's been a significant health crisis like this," Nayor said. "There was H1N1, SARS, now we have this. There's always going to be something."

Canisius College is prohibiting college-sponsored travel to China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran because of the volume of cases there. They said other countries may be added to the list, depending on how circumstances evolve. They are also considering canceling all Canisius-sponsored travel to international destinations for the foreseeable future, including summer travel.

"We hope to make this decision soon," the college said in an e-mail to students.

Syracuse University is evacuating hundreds of students from Italy amid coronavirus concerns. 

While Daemen only has two students that are participating in a study abroad program, they are being as transparent as possible to them.

"With there being so much information out there, it can be information overload," Daemen's Coordinator for Student Health and Wellness Education, Ashley Frazier, said. "There could be a lot of different sources that aren't necessarily vetted. We're really trying to help students understand those key resources like the CDC, World Health Organization, and Erie County Department of Health."

Niagara University has 152 students that are involved with a study abroad program.

Daemen continues to follow the mask debate and offer free wellness products to students. There will be an additional flu shot clinic on Tuesday and offer students free transportation to local urgent care facilities.