MUN international students helping one another amid coronavirus isolation advice

As COVID-19 spread through ArzuSafarlou's home country, she recalls calling her parents daily.

"Do not go outside!" she remembers pleading with them.

Safarlou is among a tight-knit group of Iranian international students at Memorial Universityhelping their fellow students affected by coronavirus.

With family and friends at home facing the virus, Iranians on campuswere some of the first to understand the gravity of the situation, banding together to make tough decisions cancelling flights home for the Persian New Year, for instance in order to ensure nobody brought the virus to Newfoundland and Labrador.

They're also, so far, among the few offering to help immigrants and international students still set to land in St. John's from Iran for the spring semester, echoing a group of Chinese students and expatsvolunteeringapartments and food for people landing here and locking themselves away for a fortnight.

Members of the Iranian Students' Association, too, areoffering to bring anyone in isolation groceries, look for long-term housing or help them open bank accounts.

"They want to do something good, and keep the area safe," said MahyaSoleimani, the association's president.

"They're pretty aware that it would be a disaster if something like that happened to Newfoundland."

Pandemic plans in discussion phase

MUN's Chief Risk OfficerMichael Fowlertold CBC News that its pandemic planning committee started formulating strategies last week.

There isn't yet a solid policy on how to deal with incoming or outgoing international students, or how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for anyone living in residence.

The pandemic committee was last formed during the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009.

"We would not have, I would suggest, a large capacity toput in place a quarantine-type facility," Fowler said, adding that government officials had already called to ask about the potential for using residences for that purpose.

"I think we would probably be looking to the province."

With the global situation in flux, MUN student union executive Liam O'Neill said the university is still trying to keep up, figuring out how to lessen the impact on students who may not graduate on time or be able to leave the island on schedule if the situation deteriorates.

He said looking at funding to help affected students is part of those discussions.

"Right now, the focus is how we can get through this semester," he said.

Part of that planning, O'Neill added,includes looking at residences, trying to reduce the number of people in shared living spaces, where illness could spread easily.

"That could very well be our cruise ship situation," he said.

Grassroots schemes, he added, seemnecessary at the moment but so is government support.

Provincial officials, meanwhile, don't appear to have a plan in place to help those who might be struggling to find ways to self-isolate.

Fowler couldn't say yet whether the university would have rooms or funding to offer arriving students from COVID-19 hotspots struggling to settle in and self-isolate, or helping those who can't go home.

But Soleimani's still optimistic and if funding doesn't materialize, she's confident the community will be there to fill in the gap.

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