MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State University students returned to class on Monday after spring break, but BSU students who had planned to study in Havana, Paris, Italy and elsewhere during upcoming trips abroad have been grounded by the threat from COVID-19.

That includes cancellation of BSU at the Games: Japan 2020 Olympics. Since 2012, BSU at the Games has taken more than 100 students to Olympics in London, Russia, Brazil and South Korea to report on the cultures of the host cities/countries, the athletes and coaches and the international spectacle.

Meanwhile, local K-12 schools continue to disinfect their buildings even while preparing to keep instruction going remotely through e-learning in case they have to close like Avon schools, west of Indianapolis, where two students were displaying symptoms of the new coronavirus.

"It is disappointing but I understand," said Dom Caristi, a Ball State professor of telecommunications, who was scheduled to take a tourism-video production class to Italy starting May 5. "They pulled the plug at just the right time. Nobody had bought airline tickets or anything like that. It's sad but OK … It was the right call."

He and other Ball State faculty cite a number of reasons why study abroad excursions are important.

Ball State's cancellation of about 50 study-abroad programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America will affect about 275 students this spring-summer. Fall study abroad also has been canceled.

Ball State formerly operated centers in London, Australia and Prague, but the last of those closed in 2014.

Here in Delaware County, districts like Delaware Community Schools are giving much attention to cleaning high-traffic zones including locker areas, school buses and restrooms, but additionally "we are disinfecting door knobs, water fountains and other frequently touched surfaces regularly," Superintendent Reece Mann said.

This week, the district's principals will be having conversations with faculty regarding providing instruction to students in the event buildings close for a significant period of time.

At Yorktown Community Schools, Superintendent Greg Hinshaw told The Star Press, "Yorktown does have an eLearning system in place and would be prepared to use eLearning in the event that we have to close school at the directive of the county or state health departments."

In case the schools would be closed for an extended period of time, "we would utilize eLearning days for students per Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) recommendations," Muncie Community Schools Superintendent Lee Ann Kwiaktowski told parents/guardians in a recent communication.

Many districts have utilized the program to keep learning going during a day of snow or other inclement weather, professional development, parent conferences, widespread illness and flooding, IDOE says.

Indiana schools/districts are not required to request approval from the IDOE to implement eLearning days.

"Everyone is watching the news closely," Henry County Health Department Administrator Angela Cox said. "Everybody seems to be paying attention …I think spring break is on everybody's mind."

Many, but not all, Indiana students have limited exposure to people and cultures from other parts of the world, said Professor Caristi, whose trip to Italy was supposed to run from May 5 to June 8.

"Many of our students will be in jobs requiring them to deal with people of other cultures," he said.

Unlike most tourists, who run from site to site trying to cram in as much sightseeing as they can, study abroad students have more time to watch and talk to people, buy groceries, and have other experiences to allow them to internalize priorities of different cultures — such as long lunch hours, he went on.

"At BSU we endeavor to help students understand how we are not operating in isolation, but in a global economy," said Rebecca VanMeter, an assistant professor of marketing, who was to have led a wine-marketing class to France.

"Specifically for my class students would have learned about the European culture and international approaches to marketing first hand through company visits, cultural excursions and international interactions," she told The Star Press.

Contact Seth Slabaugh at 765-213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com

Get screened for COVID-19 free

Indiana University Health has launched a virtual clinic to offer Hoosiers free virtual screenings for COVID-19 through the IU Health virtual care mobile app.

Staffed 24/7 with IU Health physicians, advance practice providers and registered nurses, the virtual clinic will screen patients from home, potentially eliminating the need to visit physician offices, urgent cares or emergency departments, according to a release.

“If you are experiencing symptoms or concerned you may have the virus, we recommend using this virtual clinic or calling your doctor before heading to an emergency department," Michele Saysana, MD, vice president of quality and safety, IU Health, said in the release.

Based on the results of the screening, medical professionals will recommend and facilitate appropriate care or next steps.

To access the virtual clinic:

Download the free IU Health Virtual Visits app ( Google Play or iTunes ) or enroll on your computer. Enroll by creating a free login and completing your personal profile.

Connect with the virtual hub, select “Coronavirus Screen” and find the appropriate pathway for care.

Information: iuhealth.org, or https://iuhealth.org/news-hub/iu-health-virtual-clinic-offers-free-coronavirus-screening