Global Travel Guidance
WPI encourages its students, faculty and staff to pursue academic opportunities around the world. All travel, regardless of destination, brings a certain level of inherent risk.To help mitigate risk for our global travelers, WPI regularly monitors world health, safety and security events using a variety of assessment sources, including taking input from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International SOS, WPI faculty and staff regional experts, among other reputable oversight agencies.
Traveling abroad requires increased caution and additional preparation. Provided on these pages are general health and safety guidelines, information on WPI's medical and security assistance provider, International SOS, and information on how to register your international travel, a requirement for all WPI students, faculty and staff participating in WPI-sponsored international travel.
Vaccination Update
Effective August 1, 2021 all travelers on WPI-sponsored international travel must be fully vaccinated. Read more
Covid-19 Travel Guidance
Additional Resources
- Updated domestic and international guidance from the CDC
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance: before and after travel
- U.S. Department of State (DOS) Travel Advisories
- CDC Travel Health Notices map
- International Airport Transport Association- IATA TravelCentre
- A new CDC order effective 1/26 requires all travelers arriving to the U.S. from international destinations, regardless of citizenship, to obtain a COVID antigen test prior to boarding. For more information, consult the Inbound Travel CDC FAQs.
- Domestic Travel: Consult CovidActNow and avoid travel to areas where outbreaks are severe (burgundy), active (red) or at risk (orange).
- International Travel: Review Covid-19 Spread at Destination.
- Travelers should discuss travel plans with their primary care physician and/or International SOS (their pre-travel consultations with a medical professional are free to WPI travelers).
- Transportation Security Authority (TSA) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
- European Center for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Pandemic Updates
Covid-19 Risk Levels
You should consider the Covid risk level at your point of departure, at your destination, and at any points of transit.The CDC outlines the particular risks associated with travel for contracting and spreading Covid-19.
MA Department of Public Health use COVID Act Now data to compare Covid-19 risk in the U.S. Consider using the Harvard Global Health Institute/Brown School of Public Health COVID-19 Risk Levels map to compare Covid-19 risk globally (select "Worldwide" on the left-hand side of the map to view risk levels per country).
Covid-19 Mitigation Measures
Routine COVID-19 mitigation practices will help protect you while you travel. These consist of wearing a face covering at all times, practicing social distancing, engaging in frequent hand washing/sanitizing, limiting gatherings as directed by a host institution, organization, or government, participating in symptoms reporting or surveillance testing (if required), staying at home if ill, and following guidelines from designated local health authorities.
More information can be found here.