GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Study abroad programs at Wisconsin universities have been impacted by the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was cut short for Joel Kiernan of Green Bay. His study abroad program decided to bring him home from his trip to China, due to growing concerns about the coronavirus.
“We kind of suspected we were going to be sent home, but we didn’t know officially. So it was Jan. 29 that I got an email that said you had to be in Beijing by tonight,” he explained.
Kiernan said he was disappointed by the decision to bring him home, but understands it’s happening to keep everyone safe.
“I was going to be there until May 20, and then it was cut to four months,” said Kiernan. “It was definitely sad but I trust the decision. It made sense but it was still disappointing nonetheless” he added.
Unfortunately, Kiernan isn’t the only student in Wisconsin whose studies have been affected– and it’s not just students in China, either. Four University of Wisconsin schools, including UW-Oshkosh, suspended study abroad programs in South Korea earlier this week.
UW-Green Bay is also closely monitoring the situation, however, no trips have been canceled.
“We don’t have any students in a region that the CDC has classified as a level 3, that would be an indication to us that we would need to cancel a program or remove students,” said Director of International Education Brent Blahnik. “We have had students adjust travel plans because of what is happening, so we are ready to make those adjustments as needed to keep people safe.”
Kiernan is now getting the opportunity to finish his program in Taiwan, and he plans to take extra precautions while he’s there.
“I got a text this morning from Taiwan that said bring extra hand sanitizer and masks because you can’t get them there. But I’m not too worried,” he laughed.
FOX 11 reached out to several other colleges in the area, and as of now none of them have decided to suspend their study abroad programs.
