Although the United States and the rest of the world is no longer experiencing pandemic levels of serious illness related to COVID-19, we recognize that participants and host families will likely continue to be impacted by COVID-19 during the program. For the 2024-2025 program year, host parents and volunteers must report COVID-19 cases where:
- a student is quarantining at home and will miss more than five days of school;
- a student is hospitalized;
- a student is impacted by a family member being hospitalized due to COVID; or
- a student is impacted by school closures due to COVID.
We strongly advise all families and students to take time early in the year to have an open and clear conversation about all expectations pertaining to safety and wellness in regard to COVID-19. These include, but are not limited to, any host family rules and expectations pertaining to personal protection when outside of the home, cleaning, movement within the community outside of the home (including errands such as grocery shopping or haircuts), visitors and in-home services, socializing with others, and masking. Please work with the host family to make sure they are decided upon what their home and family rules and expectations will be. The Participant and Host Family Questionnaire is an excellent opportunity to discuss these expectations early on in the year. Please defer to CDC, state, and local guidelines when working with the host family.
Please contact your Support Specialist if you believe that a host family's rules and expectations are too restrictive or too relaxed pertaining to COVID-19.
We also encourage you to talk to your student about host family rules and local and state guidelines on a recurring basis, during your regular check-ins. If they have any questions or express uncertainty, please review these requirements together.
What should I do if a participant requests to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster?
Each year AFS participants may receive immunizations while on an AFS program. These immunizations may be required by their host school or not. AFS does not require an AFS specific consent form for any immunizations, including the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. However, should a participant both be eligible and request to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster while on program, the participant should speak with their sending parent(s)/guardian(s) in their home country to obtain direct permission for the initial vaccine or booster. If the US healthcare facility requires parental/guardian permission, the participant should arrange to obtain their sending parents’/guardians’ signatures for these form(s). The COVID-19 vaccine and booster, as with any other vaccine, is not covered under the AFS Participant Medical Plan, and any costs associated with obtaining the vaccine will also be the responsibility of the participant and/or the sending parent(s)/guardian(s). For ECA Sponsored Programs participants (CBYX, FLEX, and YES), if there is a cost involved in a participant receiving the COVID-19 vaccine or booster while in the US, the cost will be covered by program funds.
*Please Note: ECA Sponsored Programs (CBYX, FLEX and YES) participants and their sending parents were required to sign a Department of State COVID-19 Vaccine Permission Consent document prior to program. The AFS liaison, Area Team Support Coordinator and host family will be notified, in advance, if a participant and their parents do not consent to a COVID-19 vaccine. If you have not been notified it means that AFS has consent on file and the participant can proceed with obtaining their parent(s) signatures for the healthcare facility specific form.
If the host family has questions about the AFS participant eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or any other immunization(s) (including COVID boosters) in the United States during their program, encourage the host family to speak with their primary care physician regarding eligibility.
If the host family requests for the AFS participant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (including a COVID booster), or any other vaccine, and is not comfortable approaching this topic with them or their parent(s)/guardian(s), please reach out to your Regional Field Specialist if it is prior to the student’s arrival. If the student is already on program in the US, please reach out to your Participant Support and Learning Specialist for guidance. Please refer to the guidance provided to host families regarding Vaccinations on the Help and Learning for Host Families platform.
COVID-19 Testing
Like the COVID-19 vaccine or booster, COVID testing is not covered by the AFS Participant Medical Plan. There is one exception; a COVID test may be covered if it is specifically ordered by a treating physician for a participant in response to a participant medical concern.