International Students and Scholar Services would like to remind UConn students and visiting scholars who travel to campus from international locations that they should self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival to the United States. Current Center for Disease Control guidelines ask that international travelers stay home and monitor their health for this period, to prevent community spread and protect the health of others. The University has already established the expectation that new students who live on campus arrive two weeks before classes to quarantine, with limited outings to obtain food and other necessities. International students and visiting scholars who live off-campus must also consider this policy, while CDC guidelines remain in place.
All international students and scholars traveling from international destinations should plan to arrive 14 days before you are expected to be on campus for coursework or employment. As a recent traveler, it will be impossible to follow a strict quarantine, and you will need to leave your room/home to get food from the dining halls or grocery stores and other necessary items, following health precautions like mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social-distancing. However outside of these outings, you should stay home to the extent possible for these 14 days. You should monitor your health symptoms and take your temperature daily. If you will live on-campus, your housing will be available two weeks before classes begin to accommodate this quarantine period, and you will have access to on-campus dining services for meal pick-up. If you are living off-campus, you may need to ensure that your lease covers an earlier move-in date, and if it does not, you may need to find other short-term housing.
We are very sympathetic to the extra burden this requirement may impose, as you try to arrange for a timely arrival to the U.S. For graduate students who anticipate arriving late, you will need to take into consideration this quarantine period and the effect it may have on your studies and where applicable your employment. For those international students who have a Graduate Assistant appointment for the fall 2020 semester or 2020/2021 academic year, your employment as a GA begins on the date specified in your offer letter and work assignments should not be performed before that date. If you believe you will be arriving late, contact the Graduate School and your program as early as possible as late arrivals will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
New visiting scholars should plan to arrive two weeks before your intended program start date. If this is not possible, your start date at UConn should be delayed so that you can arrive two weeks before your start date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, to support your health and safety and those of others, during this unprecedented time.
It is especially important during a health pandemic that you have health insurance covering you from the time you arrive in the United States. If you have the UConn Student Health Insurance Plan (UConn SHIP), your coverage will be effective August 15. If you have the Graduate Assistant employee health plan (CT Partnership Plan), your coverage will not be effective until the 1st of the month following your Assistantship/eligible Fellowship start date, and you should obtain insurance in your home country to cover you temporarily until your employee insurance becomes active.
Thank you and please contact ISSS at international@uconn.edu if you have any further questions.