Exchange students feel repercussions of coronavirus

While the Coronavirus has not been seen in the city, plenty of students at the school have already felt the effects. 

One student is Italian exchange student Alessandro Brazzo. Alessandro comes from Margherita di Savoia, Puglia which lies on the Adriatic coast of Italy, near the heel of the boot. 

“Every time that I talk with my family or friends back to Italy they always tell me how the situation is getting worse day by day,” said Alessandro. “Being here [America] while all the people that I know are kinda suffering makes me feel really sad.” 

As of March 10, Italy is under a nationwide lockdown. Public events and gatherings have been canceled until further notice. Over 9,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Italy. 

“My biggest concern is that I’ll not be able to come back home if the situation gets too bad,” said Alessandro. “Here I’m definitely safer than I’d be in Italy, but it’s [Italy] my home country and I can’t live without my culture.” 

Last year, the school was visited by a class of Japanese students and several have remained in contact with their host families. Japan has closed all schools nationwide for a month.

Ayane Kumazawa, a Japanese exchange student who visited Carroll last spring, is also feeling the effects of the virus back in Japan. Ayane lives in Kanagawa, a suburb of Tokyo. Japan has confirmed 511 cases of the virus. 

“The school was closed down under the influence of the coronavirus,” Ayane said in an online interview. “There is not the person who hung over the coronavirus around me. I see it only on TV.” 

Across the city, hand sanitizers are virtually wiped off store shelves with the demand for Lysol, toilet paper, and water bottles dwindling stock at local Walmarts, Costco, and pharmacies. 

Indiana has seen it’s first three cases of COVID-19, in both Marion and Hendricks counties. After a student at Hickory Elementary in Avon tested positive for the novel virus, the school issued a statement, closing school in place of eLearning. 

“It is our intent to provide our Hickory students with ongoing learning opportunities, which may include e-learning and other experiences,” the Avon Community School Corporation issued in a recent online statement. “Hickory students and staff will be able to return on Monday, April 6, following Spring Break.”

John Hopkins Hospital has published a website with updates from the CDC and the World Health Organization.