COVID-19 update from the Vice-President Administration and Finance
The following message was distributed to faculty, staff and students on March 3, 2020 on behalf of the Office of the Vice-President Administration and Finance.
Dear Members of the University Community:
The University of Prince Edward Island continues to monitor developments about the Coronavirus (2019 Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19) with provincial officials and with our university colleagues across the country. The risk remains very low in PEI; there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province.
UPEI recommends that you seek information from the Chief Public Health Office of Prince Edward Island and the Public Health Agency of Canada as they are continually updating official websites.
The PEI Chief Public Health Office (CPHO) issued an update on February 28, 2020. The CPHO continues to recommend that arriving travellers who have been in Hubei province (including Wuhan) voluntarily self-isolate for 14 days after leaving China. In addition, there are now further instructions for arriving travellers from a number of affected areas:
- Other areas of mainland China
- Hong Kong
- Iran
- Italy
- Japan
- Singapore
- South Korea
All travel to China, either as part of a UPEI program or for University business, has been suspended until further notice. Because of the evolving nature of the COVID-19 situation, the University is strongly advising members of the campus community to monitor Government of Canada travel health notices before travelling to other affected areas.
We continue to encourage you take the same general health precautions for the COVID-19 as you would for influenza. The best defence against any type of flu is following routine prevention measures. Anyone who feels unwell, has difficulty breathing, and/or develops a fever and cough should see their primary health-care provider or make an appointment at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre.
We recognize how stressful it is when families and friends in China and other affected areas may be impacted by this outbreak. UPEI has a number of supports for students through UPEI Student Affairs, including personal counselling (studentserv@upei.ca, 902-566-0488) and the International Student Office (irostu@upei.ca, 902-566-0576). UPEI faculty and staff can access the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-387-4765. We encourage you to reach out if you have concerns. You can view UPEI information and messages about COVID on the UPEI website.
Yours truly,
Jackie Podger
Vice-President Administration and Finance
