UNL student returns from South Korea amid coronavirus concerns

LINCOLN, Neb. The University of Nebraska is still keeping an eye on the coronavirus in eight countries where students are studying abroad. Students have already been pulled from three.

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Diandra Freese was one of the four UNL students recalled from South Korea. She says the recall happened very suddenly and that she was home just days after the university contacted her.

Just one week ago Freese was on Jeju Island in South Korea.

Now she’s back at her parents’ house after her internship abroad program through the university was recalled.

“I actually didn’t hear from them until I was notified of the travel advisory being a level three,” said Freese. “From there I think it was within a couple of days they called me and had mentioned it would be best for me to come home.”

Freese had been in South Korea the longest of the four UNL students recalled arriving in Seoul about a month and a half ago for a twelve week internship.

“I only met one of the UNL students just briefly and the other one I was in contact with,” said Freese. “They didn’t arrive until the Saturday before we all had to go home.”

South Korea is one of the three student study abroad programs that UNL has suspended amid ongoing coronavirus concerns along with China and Mongolia.

Freese says despite the level three travel advisory from the CDC people in the South Korea don’t seem panicked.

“It was actually very normal. That’s what surprised me hearing from back home everyone was so scared back here but being in Korea daily life went on like normal,” said Freese.

As for getting home Freese had to pay her own way, she says she was warned of possible medical screening upon arriving in the U.S. but won’t be quarantined or monitored for COVID-19.

“It was pretty smooth,” said Freese. “I just came into the country and they asked me where I had been and what I was there for and just let me through and that was about it.”

Freese says thankfully the recall will not affect her graduation date since it’s an online class and when she does this spring she hopes to go back to South Korea.