BOSTON (WHDH) - Study abroad programs at Bay State colleges are being impacted by the worldwide spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 80,000 people globally, resulting in more than 2,700 deaths.
The United States has seen 57 confirmed cases, including one involving a UMass Boston student. A spokesperson for the Boston Public Health Commission said he is doing well and continues to recover as he self-isolates at his off-campus home.
Local colleges are monitoring the global outbreak, particularly in Italy, which is experiencing the largest outbreak outside of Asia.
Administrators at Emerson College in Boston have canceled an upcoming academic excursion to Milan due to this outbreak.
Some students from Assumption College in Worcester are currently studying in Rome and Florence.
The school’s president, Francesco C. Cesareo, says they have been monitoring the situation and have no plans to bring the students home at this time.
“The distance between Rome and the northern part of Italy is sufficient enough at this point where we didn’t think it was necessary to disrupt their study abroad experience and disrupt the program,” he explained.
A spokesperson for Northeastern University in Boston said the school has four students in Northern Italy and that they have offered them the option of returning home.
One of the top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans on Tuesday that health experts foresee the coronavirus further spreading in the United States.
The Boston Public Health Commission is working to prevent this from happening.
The city’s Infectious Disease Bureau has nurses and staff working seven days a week, monitoring anyone who may have come into close contact with someone who has the virus.
The commission has also activated an incident command system, which is in contact with the state’s Department of Public Health, the CDC and Massport.
The bureau will be hosting informational sessions for university health centers in the area.
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