What kind of safety guidelines should our students, volunteers, and families adhere to during the year?

AFS-USA advises all host family members, students, and volunteers adhere to CDC, state, and local laws, orders, and guidelines pertaining to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. We understand that rules and guidelines pertaining to sheltering in place, social distancing, and wearing protective gear will likely vary across states and towns. We therefore advise volunteers to remain informed of these rules and guidelines, as they may evolve during the year. For the entirety of the NH20/SH21 cycle, we will defer to these rules and guidelines.

In addition to CDC advice around social distancing and usage of masks, volunteers, host families, and students may wish to take note of CDC advice to obtain seasonal flu vaccination as an added precaution. However, under no circumstance can AFS require a student to get a flu vaccination. Please note that the AFS Participant Medical Plan does not provide coverage for vaccinations, so the student and their family would be responsible for any costs associated with a vaccine.

Individual families and students may wish to exercise greater caution than what is mandated or advised by the CDC and their state or local governments. In these cases, these expectations should be clearly communicated between the student and host family.