How AIEP is Keeping Our Host Families, Students and Schools Safe

October 16, 2020

Dear Host Families,

We sincerely miss our international students who are still in China. At this time, AIEP has no new updates on the existing U.S. travel ban on Chinese nationals traveling to the United States. We remain optimistic that this travel ban will be lifted soon and will continue to provide any updates as they occur. COVID-19 has and continues to improve in China with recent news of over 600 million Chinese traveling during last week’s National Holiday and almost all businesses in China back to normal and operating at 100%.

In the meantime, we wanted to share a recent success story of our international students arriving in the United States by traveling and quarantining in Dubai, UAE. Feng Chen, Co-Owner of AIEP, and his Assistant Megan LaPorta recently assisted some of our students willing to make this extra stop. The students were allowed to travel to Dubai from China where they were COVID-19 tested at the local China airport, individually picked up from the local Dubai airport by Feng and Megan, and quarantined for two weeks in a hotel under their supervision and care. Upon arrival in the United States, the students were successfully allowed entry, safely transported from the local airport to Connecticut, quarantined for 2 weeks at our local dormitory, COVID-19 tested, and then transported to their host family homes. This process enabled our students to begin their in-classroom academic studies here versus taking online courses from their home country. The students are now adjusting nicely in their host family homes and following their school’s stringent COVID-19 prevention measures and protocols. AIEP continues to offer this option to our Chinese international students and we encourage our partner schools to strongly promote this option for those international students that are willing to make this extra stop while the travel ban is still in effect.

AIEP’s first priority remains the health of our host families, students and schools. When and if the China travel ban is lifted, we want to provide an update on what to expect when your student finally arrives in the United States along with the precautions and procedures AIEP will take at our Derby, Connecticut dormitory before a student resides in a host family. AIEP has experienced Resident Assistants (RAs), maintenance and cleaning personnel who will supervise and care for these students during their 2-week quarantine in our dormitory. We are very fortunate to be able to provide our dormitory for temporary housing during these unprecedented times.

Please view below photos of our temporary housing and quarantine procedures that have been implemented for recent students that arrived through Dubai and for future students that we hope to arrive after the travel ban is lifted. AIEP’s dormitory’s precautionary and quarantine procedures include:

  • Separate, individual bedrooms and bathrooms in separate wings of our dormitory
  • Daily temperature readings by RA staff
  • Frequent disinfecting and cleaning
  • Hand sanitizer stations located throughout the dormitory at multiple locations
  • Meals brought to the student’s bedroom door and left on a tray
  • Changing and cleaning of building HVAC air filters
  • Wearing of masks at all times
  • Social distancing markers
  • COVID testing at local medical centers with clearance paperwork provided before student departure to their host families

AIEP’s Dormitory Precautionary and Quarantine Procedures

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local AIEP Local Coordinator. In the meantime, you can be rest assured that AIEP is prepared and ready to keep our host families, students and schools safe when they are ready and able to travel to the United States.

The AIEP Staff