Instructions due to coronavirus situation for Oamk students currently on or planning for exchange in spring 2020

Published: 12 March 2020 at 16:01 :: News from Oamk

In light of the recent developments with the coronavirus, there is now an increased risk of infection worldwide and this affects also the Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) students currently on exchange in different destinations worldwide. As a consequence, Oamk has now updated the guidelines for the coronavirus situation.

As of March 12, Oamk recommends that all students currently on exchange return home from the exchange destinations. Oamk will compensate immediate extra travel costs incurred to the student. The compensation covers costs that are not compensated by the student’s travel insurance or by the mobility grant (eg. Erasmus+ grant). During your travel, make sure to follow the guidelines provided by local and international authorities, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Oamk and practice good hand hygiene throughout your travel.

Students returning from exchange or internship abroad must study remotely from home for a period of 14 days.

Oamk recommends, that students planning to go on exchange or internships abroad later in the Spring 2020 will cancel their plans. 

Follow updates on the instructions on

What to do next

  1. Consult the host university before leaving about the interruption of your exchange period and the possibility of completing your course work remotely, eg. as online studies. Inform us about the interruption of your exchange without delay at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  2. Contact your travel insurance company about the situation and to find out e.g. possible compensations from the travel insurance
  3. In general, the students can keep the mobility grants up to the total sum they have been granted even if the exchange would be interrupted prematurely due to the coronavirus epidemic. More detailed information regarding e.g. the force majeure procedure of the Erasmus+ programme will be sent separately to the concerned students.
  4. If return flights and returning home, or cancelling or rebooking booked flights incur additional costs, all receipts, vouchers and tickets must be retained and against them you can apply for a reimbursement of costs from your own higher education institution. Primarily you should change or rebook the existing flight and travel bookings or tickets. Further information on the compensation or reimbursement procedure you can get from the International Mobility Services at Oamk: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  5. When travelling, follow the travel bulletins and instructions of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (only available in Finnish). Submit also a travel notification to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs if you have not done it already earlier. Follow also communication of your home university. https://oiva.oamk.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/?kieli=en&kid=68&id=64660
  6. When travelling you must always follow local authorities’ instructions and recommendations on disease prevention.
  7. If you, irrespective of the recommendation of higher education institutions, decide to remain in or travel to your exchange destination, you will do it on your own responsibility.
  8. Please notify us by email that you have received this message at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

In Finland the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare THL follows the coronavirus situation in cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC and the World Health Organization WHO. Current information of the Finnish authorities regarding this issue has been published on THL’s website: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates

Instructions for those travelling in the epidemic areas: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates/instructions-for-people-travelling-in-the-epidemic-area-coronavirus-covid-19

Instructions for those returning from the epidemic areas: https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates/instructions-for-passengers-arriving-in-finland-coronavirus-covid-19-

If you, after returning from an epidemic area, and suspect a coronavirus contraction,

  • in Oulu you should contact the Emergency Department of the Oulu University Hospital by telephone tel. 08 – 315 2655.
  • In Oulainen: on weekdays at 8 – 16 the Emergency Department of Oulainen Health Care Centre, tel. 08 – 479 3401, and at other times the Oulaskangas Emergency Department, tel. 08 – 315 7840

You will be given further instructions for seeking medical help on the phone.