Exchange student from China...what to recommend?

[RomeoLikedCapuletGirls]

It's a personal arrangement and the student is arriving next week, from from Hubei but still...

Would you ask that they stay in an AirBnB for 14 days or just assume that the airport checks are adequate and she's not from Hubei itself anyway.

I'm asking for a friend who is worried. I didn't know what advice to give as the FCO online seems to recommend a 14 day quarantine period but that's not really feasible as the poor girl has to start her studies. So what else to do except turn to Mumsnet?

Unless there is someone vulnerable in the family, I wouldn't make her stay elsewhere.

She needs to ask her GP. There is a test that can be done which means two week quarantine doesn't have to be done.

How are they getting here....all the flights from mainland China are cancelled?

Really? A quick gp test? So they are just keeping those evacuated Brits in quarantine for shits and giggles?

I imagine it's quite unlikely she'll be able to travel in a week's time.

I'm surprised the University (assuming it's university) hasn't cancelled the exchange. I'm only basing that on news that China has radically reduced travel into / out of the country and the guidance is that all 'none essential' travel should be avoided.

Could your friend contact the people who have arranged for the exchange and check everything is still going ahead as planned?

I know! I was surprised that the flight is going ahead but apparently so.

It was more of a personal arrangement through a friend. My friend usually has exchange students contact her through word of mouth through previous students, I think that's how this happened.

Cornoavirus has a 2 week incubation period before symptoms show. You are infectious during this time. How long is she here for?

Agree with PP, if there is anyone in your family that falls into the vulnerable category (elderly, babies, pregnant, immuno-compromised) i'd make her stay elsewhere for a bit.

I don’t understand how she’s getting here! 🧐

But, I would be asking her to follow the 14 day isolation guidelines from the FCO, and I’m sure here place of study won’t want her physically on campus either tbh until she’s done the 14 day quarantine. She should check with her study coordinator too.

There's millions and millions of people in China, how many are infected? A few thousand. How many have died? 3% of those? Who presumably were mainly frail already.

I wouldn't think twice about having her stay straight off the boat.

Is this real?

Cancel the visit obviously.

I think Agee air b&b’s might not be impressed ‘your friend is worried about possibly getting ill, but think it’s ok to potentially put another family at risk.......

Who presumably were mainly frail already.

Oh, that's alright then.

Have you looked at the advice from Public Health England? I doubt this decision is in your hands at this point.

Unless there is a big escalation between now and the flight (in which case the flight would likely be cancelled), just proceed as planned.

My coworker on the desk across from me is just back from China; I dont really think twice about it. There are a billion people in China so (without doing the actual math) probably less than 1% have the virus. The death rate seems to have dropped to 2% (and I expect it would be significantly lower here). Sounds like just a slightly worse than normal flu.

Worth keeping an eye on developments but I wouldnt be considering cancelling at the moment.

Think about it, if there was a one in ten thousand chance they might be a carrier, would you cancel? Nah.

But there's like a one in a million chance lol.

Cancel the visit obviously.

I wouldn't think twice about having her stay straight off the boat.

Oh dear! Whatever happened to famous MN hive mind?

Follow public health advice. Don’t ask MN!

You are just pulling figures out of your ass at this point pink. We don't know how many people have the coronavirus because there is a two week incubation period. By the one we find out who has it today they will have infected far more people who will then be unknowingly brewing the illness. So knowing the figures is only something that can be gauged retrospectively.

Yep quarantined in the North, they always send the shit stuff up here. Couldn't be leafy surrey, what a shit storm government.

Nobody coming out and nobody going into China.

Can you cancel?

I work in a university we have signs everywhere for students who have been in China not to attend for 14 days

Cancel. That’s if it doesn’t already get cancelled by the university. Very unfortunate for the girl but she may not want to travel at the moment either. Can’t imagine many better ways of catching something you didn’t have than getting on a plane with 200 other people breathing in recirculated air.

China isn't letting it's citizens leave so this is not happening.

I don't think she should come unless it's essential and it really isn't.