After UCF’s move to remote learning and closure of on-campus housing facilities due to COVID-19, many students have returned home to wait out the statewide stay-at-home order.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued the executive order on Friday and it will stay in effect until April 30.
For many students, returning home is not just a quick drive or a domestic flight. International UCF students like Revant Singal had to take flights back to their home countries in the midst of travel bans and an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases.
Sophomore finance major Singal said he returned back home to India in order to be safe with his family.
“My reason for moving back home at this time was that I didn’t want to get stuck in the United States without any family support,” Singal said.
While Singal said he didn’t experience any complications when traveling back to India, he said he is hoping he can go back to Florida for the summer semester without any issues.
“I want to get back on track soon because I can’t stay outside of the United States because of immigration issues,” Singal said.
He also said he’s self-quarantining in his house during India’s countrywide lockdown for 21 days.
Other students were not able to get home as easily as Singal.
International UCF student Umer Azmi said he would rather be home in Pakistan with his family, but said he was not able to travel back due to the travel bans in place.
“I wasn’t planning on staying in the USA for the summer, and considering the current situation, the travel ban might get extended,” Azmi said.
He said he is now looking into places to stay for the summer.
Both Singal and Azmi said UCF Global has reached out to them to check on their well-being and offered food or other necessities.
Elizaveta Letisheva, sophomore hospitality management major, said she also heard from UCF Global to make sure she had the proper means to live comfortably during this time.
Letisheva said she is happy to stay in Orlando for the quarantine instead of returning home to Russia.
“I’m staying with my roommates who are also from Russia,” Letisheva said. “This is my third year being away from my family, so I’m pretty used to it by now.”
UCF Global said in a statement it has led the university’s efforts to provide international students with both personal guidance and the most up-to-date information on a wide range of matters, like the questions regarding the Student Exchange and Visitor Program and visa status due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The university will continue to provide support and resources throughout this challenging time, according to the statement.
“Students who are remaining on-campus will have full access to UCF’s emergency and health services, transportation services, the open dining halls and Knights Helping Knights Food Pantry, and all other operational university facilities,” the statement reads.
International students can find a list of questions answered by UCF Global on their website.
