Brianna Bellinghieri ‘22
According to the EA safety committee, all MayTerm trips to East Asia are on hold as of right now and it seems likely that a summer trip to China will be canceled. The trip to China includes many Mandarin students and will be chaperoned by Upper School Mandarin teacher Sophie Fu. The visit is not run by EA but by a third party tour company called Real China, although Paul Sanders, Assistant Head of Upper School says, “EA might take a position on the matter shortly.” Michael Letts, Head of Upper School, was unaware of the trip, when asked.
Ethan Harris ‘22, one of the students on the trip, explains that “the current arrangement from the tour company we are going with is that if the CDC does not lift their warning to not travel to China soon, then the trip will be canceled. Many airlines have stopped all flights to China, which could also be a potential problem. The Mandarin staff is confident we will still go; however, the disease does not appear to be slowing down.”
Chaperone and organizer Sophie Fu stated that “it is too early to make a final decision. We still have time to watch.” However, students are less optimistic, with James Austin ‘22, another tour member, saying, “Although the trip has not yet been officially canceled, the general consensus is that it will be soon.” The CDC still recommends that travelers “avoid all nonessential travel to the People’s Republic of China” and gives a Level 3 warning. Austin “understands why the trip may be getting canceled, though I am very disappointed to not be going.”
As for MayTerm trips, Letts noted that all are in question because of the uncertainty of how the virus may be spreading throughout the world and within the U.S. He also commented that some parents have already pulled their children from trips because of concerns about going through airports.
Thailand has 42 confirmed cases as of February 29th and is one of those trips which is being put on hold as of now, according to the health committee report. Mathew Davis, Upper School computer science teacher and one of the chaperones on the trip, says, “Right now we’re just waiting to hear back from the CDC, and the school administration is going to make a decision in mid to late March.” Although Davis said that if the trip goes through, he will be concerned enough to wear a mask while traveling through the airport. He also notes that no one has actually been killed by the virus between ages “15 and 50.” Although it is clear that students planning to attend the trip will not be refunded, the students will embark to an alternate destination should Thailand be unsafe.
However, it is not just some of the international trips which could be canceled. The United States itself has 60 confirmed cases and according to CDC experts, that number may very well grow in the coming days and months. All trips are in question, however, because any airpoirt travel risks exposure to people from across the globe. The Episcopal Academy website indicates that EA has been committed to addressing concerns related to the corona virus, both internally and abroad. “Some of our current discussions focus on activities outside of our traditional classrooms, like international travel and interactions with other schools and groups,” the website explains.
Eliza Aldridge ‘21, who plans to attend the Utah whitewater rafting trip, says that she does not think it makes sense for her own travel to be canceled “because it’s obviously not outside the country and we will be in the woods as opposed to a more densely populated area.” Students planning to attend Jamaica and other non-East-Asian locales have yet to hear any updates on the situation.