LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Students studying abroad in Italy had their trip cut short Wednesday amidst a coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Italy is currently experiencing the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside Asia, and the university isn't taking any chances.
"We went out in the city today, but it still just didn't feel real," Ellie Shelton said.
Harding University sophomore Ellie Shelton arrived in Florence for her semester abroad less than three weeks ago, but she is going home much sooner than expected.
"We've all tried to get in as much of the city as we can," she said. "We were told our flight is Saturday."
The Italian Ministry of Health said the number of COVID-19 cases spiked by more than 50% since Wednesday. At least 650 people testing positive Thursday -- 300 more in less than 24 hours. Seventeen people have died, so far. It's unclear what caused the outbreak.
However, the CDC has only issued a level 2 travel notice for Italy -- one level short of "reconsider travel." It does not recommend canceling or postponing trips.
Shelton said despite the outbreak, everyone in the country seems to be calm.
"It actually feels like it's a lot less of a deal here than it's being made out to be back home," she said.
And Shelton is more concerned about getting home.
"The fear is not with Florence, it's for us traveling in planes and in airports," she said.
Shelton and her classmates are still getting out into the city and exploring for the time being.
“It hasn’t been as crazy as I think a lot of people think it is over here," she said.
A growing list of other universities have also canceled study abroad programs in Italy, including New York University and Syracuse.
"I think it's frustrating and confusing and upsetting for a lot of us, but ultimately we trust the people making the decisions," Shelton said.
Shelton said she and her classmates will head back to their hometowns and finish out their classes online for the remainder of the semester. But, she still has a positive outlook.
"I can always come back and visit one day," she said.
A spokesperson for UCA told THV11 they do not have plans to suspend any of their study abroad programs for the semester.