With the pandemic, international students had education moved online, delayed or even scrapped. All of these hurdles are making students question the very high student fees that are still requested. We discuss the situation in 3 countries: the UK, the US or Australia. The Financial and Emotional Cost of International Tertiary Education Post-Covid What about your own experience? Please comment below
An update: the UK government has published changes to the vaccines they recognise effective 4 October 2021. You are considered fully vaccinated if you've received 2 doses of one of the following vaccines: Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen. The following countries (in addition to the USA, Europe and UK vaccine programmes) will be accepted IF you can prove (digital or paper proof of vaccine from the relevant public health authority) you received the last dose at least 14 days prior to travelling to the UK: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan or the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This means you do not have to quarantine for ten days and only require a single Day 2 PCR test. The financial implications are massive for countless expat families travelling to the UK. My story: I have a daughter who just started uni in the UK a few weeks ago and unfortunately, we had to bear the costs of the 10-day hotel quarantine and double PCR tests. Coming from an amber listed country we opted for a hotel because rooms are supposed to be sanitised regularly. (A friend who chose a short-term rental (airbnb) to quarantine, tested positive at the day 8 PCR test and consequently had to prolong her stay for a further 10 days) I just wonder why it took so long for the UK government to recognise the approved vaccines from other countries when these very countries seem to have better control over their infection rates (more stringent contact tracing, more testing, mask-wearing, etc). Whilst controlling the spread of the virus is imperative, there has to be some logic to decisions taken because it affects so many people. Many expats have horrifying stories where they are unable to visit family or return home. All due to the added financial burden of not having their vaccine recognised.
So the friend tested negative on day2, was self isolating but then tested positive on day 8.... crazy ! So much stress ! I was so frustrated over the summer with the UK rules over vaccination, as the EU countries were accepting the UK NHS papers as proof of double jab, but the UK still was not reciprocating and people double vaccinated on the continent needed to have all tests as those with no vaccination (I said it here)... I took them nearly 2 months to do eventually accept vaccinations made in EU countries (even with the exact same vaccines!). It was so frustrating and prevented some travels due to the additional cost for a family (a PCR test was charged 49€ in Paris while it was £149/~€180 in London).
22 July 2021: the UK vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said that “by the end of this month UK nationals who have been vaccinated overseas will be able to talk to their GP, go through what vaccine they have had, and have it registered with the NHS that they have been vaccinated”. Today, 27 September, I have just received an email from the NHS responding to a request I made in July: = No NHS Covid pass for me Just unbelievable!
