At Verto Education, the health and safety of our participants is a core priority. Participant and family preparations play a big role in ensuring Verto participants are able to have life-changing experiences without interruption. So, what can you do now to prepare? Below, you’ll find information about Verto’s vaccination requirements and some suggestions to help you prepare for your experience abroad.
Verto would like to stress that it does not make official medical recommendations, and the information on this page and throughout our website is in no way intended and should not be interpreted as medical advice. We encourage you to consult your own professional medical practitioner with any questions about our vaccination policies.
Verto Education aligns its COVID-19 vaccination policy to comply with local laws, which no longer require vaccines for entry into the country. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer required.
Although countries have currently changed their vaccination policies and country entry requirements, there is no guarantee that these will not change in the future. If they do change, Participants will be required to comply with local laws and regulations regarding vaccinations. If participants are unable to continue on with their semester, no refunds will be issued for their semester.
We highly recommend that participants continue to get vaccinated to avoid any issues in their program country. Participants will still be required to comply with local laws and regulations regarding vaccination, isolation, testing and quarantine. Non-vaccinated individuals will need to reference and follow the appropriate testing requirements for entry into their program country. Additionally, some excursions may require additional testing to enter other countries that you may travel to during your program. Any required testing will be at the cost of the Participant. Participants should note that some local establishments may continue to require vaccination, and participants may not be able to participate in events and programming if this is the case. Participants should also be cognizant of the itinerary of any flights to their program country as vaccination may be required by the location of any layovers.
Additional Information:
Verto’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement is a direct reflection of the government-enforced COVID-19 travel requirements, restrictions, and protocols present in our abroad locations. Unvaccinated travelers face the ongoing risk of mandatory quarantine periods – that can be based on personal infection or close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
For those who are vaccinated the below information still applies:
Verto’s COVID-19 vaccination policies reflect country-specific COVID-19 travel restrictions and requirements present in our abroad locations. These include COVID-19 travel entry requirements, as well as in-country travel restrictions and quarantine protocols. Verto’s vaccination policy requirements also reflect country-specific details or criteria regarding recognition of ‘fully vaccinated’ status for our participants.
At this stage of the global COVID-19 pandemic, rigorous vaccine mandates impacting international travelers are a prevailing trend. Social mobility restrictions and quarantine protocols for unvaccinated travelers are prevalent across some of Verto’s host countries, with conditions and criteria which change rapidly in response to both new variants and local case counts.
Each Verto host country government has specific details and criteria related to their countries’ recognition of ‘fully vaccinated’ residents and travelers, and many international countries only recognize travelers as ‘fully vaccinated’ through their demonstration of official, up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations (i.e. ‘final vaccine shot’ or ‘booster shot’ less than 9 months old). If required given your abroad destination of choice, Verto participant travelers are responsible for ensuring their COVID-19 vaccinations are current, and participants whose initial COVID-19 vaccinations are more than 9-months old are required to seek a booster shot before they depart for their abroad locations, in order to remain considered ‘fully vaccinated’ for the duration of their study abroad experience.
What does this mean for Verto participants?
If COVID-19 vaccinations (and ‘fully-vaccinated’ status) – are required given your abroad location of choice, Verto participants must ensure they complete the following steps:
- Upload *ALL* required COVID-19 vaccination documentation into the Verto Participant Portal (including booster shot information, if required)
- Verify that the submitted date(s) of all your vaccinations (including booster shot) are accurate
- Secure your CDC ‘white card’ and other ‘proof-of-vaccination’ documents in a safe place alongside your Passport and required travel documents
- Confirm with your Onboarding Advisors that your vaccinations meet both international air travel requirements and program host country requirements.
Verto will adhere to all local requirements regarding wearing masks in public spaces. Verto monitors campus spaces and activities throughout the experience, and adjusts mask requirements in accordance with evolving public health guidance.
