The items below apply to all group travel, regardless of traveler type. Administrative offices or units are responsible for gathering this information from partners or on-site hosts prior to applying for approval.

• Academic or operational continuity (risks made known to traveler)

• Sick participant protocols, to include how COVID-19 positive symptomatic and asymptomatic cases are to be treated

  • This should include details regarding quarantine and isolation housing, if applicable, based on local context

• Understanding your destination’s public health authority’s guidance on treating COVID-19 cases, quarantine and isolation (if applicable), testing, and contact tracing (if applicable)

• Guidance for participants regarding where/how to seek medical care for any/all illness (both physical and mental health). 

  • This should include expectations as to what is available, how near it is to the program location, and if English speaking care is available or not, specifically for mental health

• Emergency response plans provided

In addition to the baseline standards outlined above, all Temple-branded group travel must meet the following requirements prior to receiving approval.

• Program leader and alternate program leader identified

• Program leader and alternate program leader complete health and safety training 

  • Must attend in-person/live session with International Risk Management prior to departing

• Participants complete health and safety training programming prior to departure

• Identified preferred medical provider for participant illness and COVID-19 testing sites identified (where culturally relevant)

• Student support while in isolation/quarantine, to include but is not limited to, touching base virtually on a daily basis, providing food or resources to obtain food while in isolation, providing laundry services or resources for laundry services, as well as additional resources surrounding their physical and mental health (such as how they can be seen virtually).

• Ability to adapt programming, including excursions/co-curricular activities, to changing conditions on the ground

• Tracking of travel on weekends/break periods (for programs of four weeks or more in length)

• Contingency budget planned for

• Plans or expectations set with participants regarding testing positive for COVID-19 prior to returning to the U.S.

Similar to above, the items below are not required for all group travel however they will be taken favorably into consideration when applying for approval:

• Experienced program leader preferred (has led pre-COVID)

• Experienced on-site partner (has been a partner pre-COVID and/or has ran programming during COVID)

If your program went through the approval process for fall 2021, spring 2022 or summer 2022, you are eligible for an expedited review during AY22–23.

In this expedited review, Global Health, Safety and Security is looking for the following.

• Updated information on your program (such as location, anticipated dates of travel, purpose of travel, etc.)

• Updated sick participant protocols, to include updated COVID-19 positive symptomatic and asymptomatic cases

• Guidance for seeking medical care and identified medical provider

• Updated emergency response plans

• Program lead and alternate for program in AY22–23