Dear Partner VikiTravel, WikiVisa, BritishSouvenirs, VikiVisa, EducationAdvisor, Sovet-Veterinarov, MoscowAdvisor,

I am writing to update you on measures we are taking in response to the spread of the coronavirus.

At Eurocentres, we have a long history of providing a reliable and trustworthy service; and we always put student and staff welfare first. As such, my team and I are carefully monitoring government and World Health Organisation advice to ensure that our response is appropriate, effective and based on the best data available.

In line with this advice, the measures we are taking in the schools are as follows:

·         Information about the coronavirus is displayed in all schools

·         Hand sanitiser is available throughout the schools

·         Students and staff are regularly reminded that the best way to combat the virus is to observe good cough and sneeze etiquette

·         Students and staff are offered local support in case they feel ill; and we will help them to follow up-to-date government advice on what to do if they suspect they have the virus

Cases of the virus in our school destinations remain very low; and life goes on as normal.

We have put together a Q&A (please see below) which provide further details of the contingency plans we have in place to deal with any impact of the virus and the implications for students’ courses. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed here.

Please rest assured that we will continue to monitor the situation and follow up-to-date advice. We appreciate your attention and continuous support.

In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming your students at all of our fantastic destinations worldwide and delivering to them the usual Eurocentres promise.

Kind regards,
Stewart Watkins
COO

Q&A Eurocentres Coronavirus Measures

Question
If students from countries that have the virus can travel, do they need to self-isolate for 14 days when they arrive at our destination?

Answer
We are following up-to-date government and WHO advice on this. The answer now is no, they do not need to self-isolate unless they believe they have symptoms of the virus (see below for procedure in this case).

Question
Are we taking students from affected regions?

Answer
At present, we continue to welcome students from all destinations. We are following government/WHO guidance on this; and if it is no longer deemed appropriate for students from certain affected regions to be accepted on course, we would follow the relevant advice.

Question
If the student would like to postpone the course, how far can they postpone?

Answer
They can postpone their course for up to 18 months.

Question
If a student would like to cancel, either before arrival or because they fall ill from the virus during their stay, will they get any refund?

Answer
Current terms and conditions apply regarding refunds, unless a student has actually contracted the virus.
If the student provides us with evidence they have contracted the virus, the following terms and conditions apply:

·         He/she will be allowed to either cancel or postpone their course with us (subject to classroom and accommodation availability)

·         Full refund on tuition fees (applicable to all schools in the UK & France)

·         50% of my.Eurocentres fees will be refunded

·         Full refund on Exam fees (if applicable)

·         Full refund on accommodation if notified one week before the intended date of arrival in the destination country i.e. one week before the day the student intended to move into the accommodation

·         For students already in accommodation, they would need to give one week notice* that they wish to leave their accommodation. They would need to pay for this final week (and would be refunded any accommodation fees they had already paid for subsequent weeks)

*1 week notice is counted from the forthcoming Saturday.

Please note: The accommodation placement fee will NOT be refunded for partner schools.

Question
For students who already have a visa, if they would like to postpone the course and the visa that they get is not valid until the end of the course after the postponed start date, do they need to reapply for a visa? Will immigration waive the visa fee?

Answer
Students will need to check up-to-date government guidelines for their destination country.

Question
What measures are we undertaking to avoid the spread of the virus in our schools?

Answer
In line with government and WHO advice, the measures we are taking in the schools are as follows:

·         Information about the coronavirus is displayed in all schools

·         Hand sanitiser is available throughout the schools

·         Students and staff are regularly reminded that the best way to combat the virus is to observe good cough and sneeze etiquette

·         Students and staff are offered local support in case they feel ill; and we will help them to follow up-to-date government advice on what to do if they suspect they have the virus

Question
What happens if any students get the symptoms?

Answer
If a student or member of staff is concerned that they have symptoms of the virus, they should self-isolate (see below re: accommodation), notify their school and follow up-to-date WHO and local government guidelines regarding how to seek treatment.

Question
What if a staff member / student is ill (fever, coughing) but comes to school / office having symptoms but the person does not take the initiative of self-isolating / contacting emergencies to get checked (at this time of year a lot of people have a cold, sneeze, cough...), what is the school / line manager's responsibility ? Do we have to oblige the person to self-isolate / not come to school-work until guaranteed that they do not have the coronavirus?

Answer
School teams should apply the same rationale that they would under normal circumstances i.e. if a student is displaying symptoms that suggest they may infect other students (even if it's just a bad cold), they can be sent home at the manager's discretion. However, we may only take the decision to close a school if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus and the person affected has been in the school in recent days.

Question
What happens if we have a confirmed case in a school?

Answer
We will follow up-to-date guidelines. At present, this means that the person affected will have to self-isolate.
If the person affected has been to the school premises, we will likely close the school (see below).

If we are sure the individual has not been to the school premises, they will need to self-isolate and for students we will arrange online 1-2-1 lessons in line with our current terms & conditions. In this scenario, the school would remain open.

Question
What is the contingency plan should we have to close any of our schools in case of any confirmed cases?

Answer
All students/staff from the affected school/office will have to self-isolate for two weeks (we cannot force them to, but will make it clear this is the WHO/governments’ advice).
Re: students’ courses: they will then have the option of returning to their school once it reopens after two weeks or they can choose to postpone their course. 

We would provide the following study support to students while they are self-isolating:

·         Access to my.Eurocentres with homework and study advice set by teacher

·         One-to-one online tutorials with teachers on request

·         Email support from teachers including study suggestions

Question
Where would the student(s) self-isolate?

Answer
They would remain in their room in the homestay or residence they are booked in.

Question
What happens if the host refuses to keep the student?

Answer
We will work with the host and the student to make alternative accommodation arrangements.
A refund on accommodation would be given from the date they were asked to move.

Question
For students who self-isolate, will the course postpone automatically or will they be checked as absent?

Answer
All students will benefit from online study support (see above) and stay in their accommodation while they self-isolate.

Question
What will be the implications for the course and accommodation? Will they be charged for the extra fees?

Answer
Their course will be automatically postponed until the school reopens (or they can choose to postpone until a later date within 18 months). They will only have to pay for their accommodation for the extra weeks they end up staying in the country. There will be no additional fees.