**Updated May 3rd at 12pm**
As of May 1st, all 2020 ANDEO trips have been cancelled or postponed until 2021. ANDEO's staff continue to remain furloughed until June.
**Updated April 6th at 1pm**
Our office will be closed for the month of April, and our staff will be on furlough until May. If you call, please expect to leave a voicemail and we will return your call. Our staff are now working as volunteers during this time. Thank you for your patience!
What are your office hours?
We will not have office hours during the month of April. Our staff are on furlough. Please leave a voicemail or send an email.
ANDEO cancelled my program. When will I get my refund?
We are issuing refunds for cancelled programs on a rolling basis. Our policy says that you will get a full refund, including your deposit, if we cancel a program for any reason. If we have cancelled your program, this month you will receive a refund of all program fees minus your deposit. We will refund the deposits when we are able to resume our inbound programs. We use the deposits to pay for program-related deposits and overhead during the application process. The cancellation of so many programs at the same time is unprecedented, so we are not able to fully refund your deposits at this time.
**Updated March 16th at 5pm**
ANDEO continues to operate in a wait and see period regarding summer travel. Our board is monitoring the situation and we are staying in close communication with our partners abroad. We are hoping that the social distancing measures being put in place in the USA and other countries will help the world get back on track by the summer! We are still in wait-and-see mode as the situation changes from day to day.
As of March 15th, the CDC has recommended limiting travel and gatherings of more than 50 people for the next 8 weeks, or until May 10. We will be watching for updates to that guidance.
On March 16th, the White House added an additional recommendation of limiting social gatherings of more than 10 people for the next 15 days. We are glad to see people in the US and around the world taking these drastic measures to help stop the spread of the virus. We expect to know more in the coming months about how successful our social distancing efforts have been to flatten the epidemiological curve.
As of March 16th, our partner schools in Spain have notified us that they are temporarily closing in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are continuing to stay in close communication about their status.
Q: What are ANDEO's office hours?
A: We are working with reduced staff who are working part time. Until further notice, we will be available Monday through Friday from 10 to 4.
Q: Given the current uncertainty, is it okay if I delay my program payment until April?
A: Yes. ANDEO is pausing invoicing through April 15th as we wait and see about the status of programs. Feel free to email bookkeeper@andeo.info if you have questions. Since we are operating with a reduced staff and reduced hours, we appreciate your patience in receiving a response.
**Updated: March 12, 2020 at 5pm**
We continue to proactively monitor the novel coronavirus's spread as it relates to our planned programs for the year. Check for new updates to this page after 5pm.
Here are some answers to questions we are frequently hearing from participants:
A presidential proclamation released on March 11 bans “foreign nationals” from the European Union from entering the U.S as of Friday, March 12th for a period of 30 days. Along with the ban, the CDC raised its threat level in Europe to Level 3. All incoming programs have been cancelled for March and April, which means if you were planning to host a student through our school visit program, the program has been cancelled. University students and interns who are already here are continuing their programs at this point in time. For summer programs, ANDEO is taking a wait-and-see approach.
As of March 12, ANDEO is taking a wait and see approach regarding outbound program cancellations. Most of our trips are still several months away and the situation is fluid. We are seeking to renegotiate airfares with airlines to take advantage of more flexible options. Be prepared for travel dates, times, and itineraries to change slightly.
We are monitoring the CDC and State Department resources. We encourage you to do so as well. If you are certain that you will not be traveling this summer, we recommend that you cancel sooner rather than later. If you cancel now, you will receive a refund of payments made less any non-refundable costs and your $500 deposit.
The greatest non-refundable cost is the airline ticket. If you cancel after we have ticketed the group (ticketing dates vary per group), you might receive a travel voucher for the airline, often good for one year, depending on the airline. The degree of flexibility regarding changing the ticket and the cost to do so will be dependent on the airline.
If ANDEO cancels a program, we will make every effort to refund all payments in full. We have temporarily laid off most of our staff for 30 days to conserve funds and we are doing everything we can to maintain the longevity of our organization and programs.
All of ANDEO's programs include accident and medical insurance for participants, but we do not provide trip "cancel for any reason" coverage. We have researched this kind of policy, and from all of the policies we have reviewed, it is only available to be purchased within 14-30 days of putting down your initial deposit.
Scholarship decisions are currently on hold until we know more about the status of summer programs.
To keep yourself and others safe and healthy:
Comply with special instructions issued by local officials.
Adhere to known, effective best practices to minimize your chance of catching respiratory infections:
Do not touch any part of your face without first washing your hands.
Avoid contact with persons who are already ill.
Avoid unnecessary touching of other persons (e.g. shaking hands in greeting) and limit touching publicly-shared surfaces, where possible.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Carry hand sanitizer (60-95% alcohol) and use it for situations where hand washing might not be possible.
When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue or in your elbow.