Coronavirus update for March 9: Spring Break Travel Advisory

March 9, 2020

Dear Campus Community,

As we look ahead to Finals Week and Spring Break, I’d like to encourage all members of our community to think carefully about travel.

If you have plans for international travel, it’s important to be aware of any CDC travel advisories that may apply. Faculty and staff may wish to use Western’s Travel Registry  as part of their travel preparation.

All travelers should be familiar with the University’s Communicable Disease Policy https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1000.12-Reporting-Communicable-Diseases.pdf. In particular, be aware that if you travel to China, Iran, Italy, or South Korea (Level 3) or Japan (Level 2) or any other country that shifts to a CDC Level 2 designation or higher while you are abroad, you must report to the Medical Director of the Student Health Center and be cleared BEFORE you return to campus (https://studenthealth.wwu.edu/). The Medical Director may require you to self-isolate for a defined period of time, for your own safety and that of others.

Students who live on campus may wish to stay over Spring Break, rather than return to a higher-risk area. Information about staying is available here https://housing.wwu.edu/living-on-campus/policies/housing-during-breaks#staying-for-break.

Whether you travel — internationally or within the U.S. — or stay home, please continue to practice good disease prevention.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%–95% alcohol.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • If you are sick, stay home.

We will continue to provide daily updates through the WWU Alert system. If you haven’t signed up, please do that now at this website: https://www.getrave.com/login/wwu

Finally, I am sorry to report that hand sanitizer gel was stolen from dispensers in a number of campus buildings over the weekend. Replacements were already on order, but we do not have stock on hand now to refill them. We will continue to monitor dispensers, and refill them as quickly as we can. In the meantime, handwashing remains an excellent prevention method. If you need soap or paper towels replaced, please use the ReADY system to request them.

This is an “all (well-washed) hands on deck” moment for Western. Many colleagues across campus are lending their skills, knowledge, and abilities to the joint effort. I am particularly grateful for the dedication and expertise of our custodial staff across campus. They are a vital frontline of prevention, and we are all safer because the work they’ve been doing.

With appreciation for your partnership,

Melynda Huskey

Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services

 

The Incident Command System team at Western has established three goals for all of our preparation and response to COVID-19:  to protect life safety and minimize the spread of the coronavirus illness, to maintain – as much as possible – the continuity of Western’s operations, and to communicate with our communities as fully as possible.

Western's coronavirus information website features Frequently Asked Questions; has links to campus, regional and national resources; an archive of campus messaging and media stories about coronavirus; a new toll-free campus coronavirus information line, and more. The site is a living document, and will get frequent updates as the coronavirus situation evolves.