CARMEL — Several college students had their study abroad programs cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elliot Choy, of Carmel, was studying aboard in Spain and is sharing his experience after he likely had the virus.
He says him and his roommate had a fever for two days, chills, a headache, and a sore throat and a cough for about a week. Choy says he also was hanging out with someone who tested positive for the virus.
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As the number of cases and death tolls start to rise, so did the anxiety of Americans stuck in Europe as they faced travel restrictions. Once Choy made it back to Carmel, he quarantined himself for another three weeks to help keep his family safe.
"Being in Spain and seeing that everyone in the Barcelona airport was wearing a face mask and then coming to the U.S. and seeing that even the airport employees weren't wearing any protection, that was really kind of surprising to me," Choy said.
He started sharing his stories about the virus to his more than 700,000 YouTube subscribers to try to help people start taking the virus more seriously.
"It's just important to do your part and stay at home," Choy said.
He still hasn't received his test results for the virus from Spain, and says he doesn't think he will.
When he tried to get tested in the U.S., he says he was told it has been too long since he had symptoms and been in contact with someone who had the virus. He says he was also told there weren't any tests available.
