Dear CIS Community,

We are excited to be sending CIS Abroad students to Australia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Thailand during Summer and Fall terms. We are thankful that the spread of the Omicron COVID variant is decreasing in most of our international communities and that the disease has 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 on their program.  

The CDC Recommendations for boosters have not changed since our January update:

• If a participant received the Pfizer for their first two doses, the new recommendation is to receive their booster after 5 months.
• If a participant received the Moderna for their first two doses, the recommendation has not changed; it’s still 6 months.
• If a participant received the Johnson & Johnson for their first and only dose, the recommendation has not changed: it’s still 2 months. 

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.)  If a participant is not yet eligible for a booster, we will do everything we can to help them secure a booster while abroad. We require all participants to be fully vaccinated in their host country, and strongly encourage all Summer and Fall students to get a booster prior to leaving for their program 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 in 2022
• 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

Joe Debiec and the CIS Abroad International Operations Team