By Jonathan Smith, Staff Writer
Some international students are rethinking their trips back to their home countries and waiting to see what the situation is with the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, especially in Asia.
Jasmine Wong, sophomore nutrition major from Hong Kong, and three of her friends are just four students who are watching the SARS situation before deciding to return.
“I wanted to go back, and I’ve already bought tickets,” Wong said. “I talked to my mom, and she said to just wait and see if the situation gets worse. She worries that if I come back here, they won’t allow me to come back to the USA”
SARS appeared in the international spotlight at the end of February, initially as a mysterious pneumonia-like virus. A total of 5,462 cases has been reported in 29 countries with 2,427 people recovering so far but 353 deaths. Hong Kong alone has had 1,572 reported cases and 150 deaths.
Symptoms include a fever over 100 degrees, dry cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, and it is spread by coming in close contact with an infected person.
Wong said they don’t fear the virus; they fear that international customs would not let them return to ACU for next semester in efforts to contain SARS.
Her flight isn’t scheduled until the end of May, but if Wong decides not to return home, she will probably stay in Abilene for the summer.
“I think I would stay here and maybe take some summer courses,” Wong said.
Wong said she misses Hong Kong, especially the food, and was looking forward to going home for the summer. She was home last summer, but there were no problems with SARS then.
Ted Presley, executive director of the Center for International and Intercultural Education, visited several countries in Asia from March 27 to April 13 but took Hong Kong and Singapore, two originally scheduled countries, off their itinerary.
“The SARS scare had grown enough in Hong Kong and Singapore that the schools had closed, and that was our point in going.”
He was hoping to visit the schools as well as some alumni in those countries. Like Wong, Presley said they didn’t fear the virus but the possibility of getting stuck in those countries because of quarantines.
“If one of us had coughed or sneezed at the airport, they could have put us under quarantine for 10 days,” Presley said.
