COVID-19: What Students Studying Abroad Need to Know

Since January 2020, a novel coronavirus (nCoV) – a previously unidentified strain of the large family of coronaviruses (CoV) has caused serious sickness and death on a huge scale worldwide. The World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Among countless people that have been seriously impacted by the pandemic are those who are studying abroad or have planned travelling abroad to study.

So if you are studying for a master’s or a bachelor’s abroad, yes, it is a “fight or ‘fright’ ” situation. But once you survive, you can assess your situation and weigh your options. For you, it is not ‘He Who Dares, Wins’. It is ‘He Who Persists, Wins’.

And for that, YOU NEED A SURVIVAL TOOLKIT

So, we thought why not curate it for you!

Here’s a quick detour of a ‘Study-Abroad CoViD-19 Survival Primer’ for someone from India studying at a college or university abroad.

Following are the pointers you should keep in mind:

Follow sanitisation protocols

• Wearing a mask while going out, frequently sanitising your hands with soap or an alcohol-based sanitiser, covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing, and staying at home as mandated, prevents the spread of the disease

Maintain social distancing

Try avoiding travelling as much as possible

• It aids to sever the chain of transmission and thwarts the spread of the virus

Adapt quickly to the online mode of learning

• Since it is uncertain when the universities/colleges are going to open their campuses

Exercise regularly

• Staying indoor days on end is not something we often do. We didn’t choose the life of a hermit. Try to make regular indoor work-out a part of your routine. Regular exercise boosts your immune system and helps you stay stay healthy

Connect regularly with home and friends

• Staying abroad away from home for long itself can be mentally challenging. Staying abroad in such an extraordinary time can be extremely so.
• Do not stay isolated. Connect with friends and family via mail, phone, app, social network, and Skype. Nothing can have a more positive effect on your morale and spirit than talking with your near and dear ones on a video call

Avoid any hasty decision

• This is a potent time for many to make uninformed decisions. Do not take one. As in such cases, you might regret later

Prioritise to re-arrange shared accommodation

• If you are sharing accommodation with another person, you might be justifiably worried about your or the other person’s health
• If you want to re-think such sharing of accommodation, connect with your university’s Student Support for assistance

Review bank loan

• If you have availed a bank loan to fund your study, review your banker’s response to such a loan
• Check out with your bank how the current crisis will impact your repayment/deferred payment options

Keep yourself posted

• If you have already returned home, contact your institution/School for modalities to continue your study and examination
• Keep returning to the university website about updates
• Follow the Indian and the host/destination government embassy and consulates. They are your critical source of information in real-time for the government’s actions and decisions regarding travel advisory, visa procedure, etc.
• Keep a tab on your host government’s responses to CoViD-19, especially for international students
• Follow regular updates on host/destination/home country’s on-the-ground Co-ViD-19 pandemic situation from authentic government agencies.

You need to know how to live and plan in this difficult time because CoVid-19 is not going to go away soon. These are some of the important things we think you should practise in these testing times while studying abroad. Stay safe!   

For more information, call our Study Abroad Helpline 1800 102 4646