The Impact of Coronavirus on Overseas Travel, Fall 2020 Admissions and Airline Tickets
The coronavirus global pandemic is the main news topic currently all over the world affecting over 100 countries and millions of people. We can see numbers changing daily all over the world at a rapid pace. Global markets and travel especially airlines are majorly hit by this devastating situation.
There is no doubt that there would be lots of concerns and questions in the minds of people who are waiting to travel abroad either for studies or work or a vacation, there are students having received the visa or students who have the study permit but waiting for visa. Therefore, we are writing this article to help you navigate these tough times. Although we cannot predict of what is coming in the next few weeks or months, all we want to say is stay positive, this too shall pass!
Overseas Travel
Regarding travel, we understand that some of you may have already booked tickets to overseas but some countries including China, Italy, Iran and South Korea have been issued a Level 3 travel Health Notice by Center for Disease Control (CDC). The best thing you can do now is to be updated about the latest news and happenings on CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) related to your desired country of travel.
The CDC and WHO have also stated precautions for people who are above a certain age and who have chronic condition such as diabetes, heart problems or lung disorders. So if you fall in this criteria it is in your best interest to reconsider your travel plans if any and if not urgent avoid any travel until the COVID-19 impact reduces significantly.
A lot of countries have also imposed travel bans for certain amount of time while some countries like India have suspended visas for the time being.
Student Admissions and Courses
While its hard for us to provide a definite answer as Fall 2020 is still a little far and things could very well change by then. The best action you could take is to get in touch with your educational institute’s International Office; you can find the email address on the institution’s website and write them an email to get the most appropriate answer for your scenario.
If you are May 2020 intake student and worried what’s going to happen, we would like you to know that most international universities are offering the below options:
Online Classes: Some universities may offer online classes for few months before students can safely travel to the country where their university is located.
Deferring Admission: Students have the option to differ their admission to next season or next year.
Withdrawing admission: You can also withdraw your application but make sure you rethink really well before making this decision as your hard work for the entire application process will be wasted.
If you are a September 2020 intake student, do not hurry right now as we hope for the situation to get better.
Already Purchased an Airline Ticket?
We undoubtedly know the stress when it comes to cancelling or re-scheduling an overseas flight due to some urgent issues as the fees charged by airlines are huge for any last moment changes. Keeping the COVID-19 situation in mind, if you had to cancel or miss your flight amidst the coronavirus outbreak, then do not worry as most flights are considering and have come up with new policies to handle this situation. Some airlines like Delta, United, American Airlines, JetBlue etc. have decided to waive off any change fees for airline tickets purchased on or before March or if the flight was scheduled to depart in the month of March or April. Other flights are also offering an option to cancel your trip and book a trip of similar value in the future. Please visit or get in touch with the concerned airline for exact details on flight ticket changes, cancellations, and refunds.
Wrapping Up
One thing I would like to add is; as there are billions of sources to get coronavirus information from and it is all over in the news, make sure you are not consuming too much information and stressing yourself out. Only read news from recognized sources. WHO and CDC are good sources to get the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you would you like to read about some ways to reduce stress amid the COVID-19 crisis, read our article on COVID-19.
Do you have any questions or doubts on this? Feel free to comment below!
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