Dear CIS Abroad Community,

We are excited to be sending CIS Abroad students to Australia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, and Thailand in 2023. We are thankful that COVID is decreasing in most of our international communities and that the new variants of the disease have been milder in most cases.

We DO NOT anticipate that any country or location where we are operating will impose any measure that would prohibit participants from participating in their program.

We continue to require all participants to be fully vaccinated to attend our programs. This means one of the following:

• Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine
• Two doses of the Moderna vaccine
• One dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

We also require a booster shot within the last six months for students applying to the following countries: Italy, Spain, Japan. Note that we highly recommend booster shots for all countries, as any country might mandate a booster shot for entry at any time.

We highly recommend boosters shots for all participants, if eligible and follow the CDC Recommendations for boosters. Some countries require boosters for people to be considered fully vaccinated if more than 6 months has passed since the original vaccination. By getting a booster, if eligible, before studying abroad, participants will save the time and trouble of having to get boosted while abroad. (Also, it may be very expensive to get a booster shot abroad.)

Testing before departure and while abroad:
Currently, participants who test positive for COVID-19 before departure from the US need to isolate for 5 days and wear a mask for the next 5 days. Depending on their program destination, different host country rules may apply for their eventual arrival. Also, during their stay abroad, if a participant tests positive for COVID-19, different policies are in place regarding the duration of isolation after a positive COVID test.

We continue to:

• Monitor daily news in every location where students will be studying
• Monitor flight changes and delays
• Monitor the international border entry rules and regulations for any changes
• Read through US State Department Safety and Security Reports
• Remain in regular communication with our staff onsite
• Remain in frequent contact with partner universities around the world
• Communicate any significant changes that we hear with students

Kind regards,

Joe Debiec and the CIS Abroad International Operations Team