Read on Twitter
Most #Fulbright scholars received their orders to return to the US on March 13th, the day these restrictions were scheduled to take effect, and were caught up in the crush of travelers rushing to return to the US. @gregpmiller @jdawsey1 @byaaroncdavis https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/one-final-viral-infusion-trumps-move-to-block-travel-from-europe-triggered-chaos-and-a-surge-of-passengers-from-the-outbreaks-center/2020/05/23/64836a00-962b-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nat...
Most of these #Fulbrighters had the means to shelter in place in Europe with the support of #Fulbright, and only returned because that support was suddenly withdrawn. Some of these people left too quickly to break leases or lost money in prepaid rent.
An earlier response to the spread of the virus might have at least given #Fulbrighters more time to prepare for their unexpected return to the US. New scholars for the 2020-21 year signed contracts in February, resigned from jobs and gave notice to landlords.
The #Fulbright program has not meaningfully engaged with the concerns #Fulbrighters had for their own health, the health of their families, and the effect on public health that might result. In fact, we were told by the State Department that there was nothing to worry about.
#Fulbrighters were not encouraged to quarantine and those that did have not received reimbursements for their costs.
There are rumors that Fulbright& #39;s response to these health concerns may be instituting more rigorous pre-departure health screenings, a step that could make the program less accessible to participants with disabilities.
If the problems detailed in this thread concern you, please consider signing our letter of appeal to the #Fulbright program: https://www.change.org/p/the-office-of-academic-exchange-programs-bureau-of-educational-and-cultural-affairs-2019-2020-fulbright-grantee-letter-of-appeal-to-the-fulbright-program?recruiter=1086091180&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&fbclid=IwAR2H5SfVA4Qcfc2-6FyB40uKhG3Pp0_CCEQNXVfqpAWwD2EuuLgDZb2IiAI">https://www.change.org/p/the-off...
