By Ben Macintosh
On Tuesday it was announced that only be delivery essential services for the forseeable future.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has resulted in widespread self-isolation and closures as governments work to contain the disease.
Last week, the first case of coronavirus on PEI was confirmed and it caused major changes at UPEI and around the province.
Here is a brief timeline of how the disease made impacted UPEI:
Earlier in the year, UPEI had sent emails to students, staff, and faculty saying they were aware and were monitoring the coronavirus situation.
Late last week numerous cancellations and closures were announced in quick succession as COVID-19 began to grow exponentially in Canada.
The following is a summary of the changes UPEI has made so far:
Thursday, March 12: The U SPORTS Men’s and Women’s Hockey and Volleyball championships were cancelled. UPEI was scheduled to host the Women’s Hockey tournament.
Friday, March 13: UPEI announced that they would be transitioning to online classes for the rest of the semester starting after March 20th.
Saturday, March 14: The PEI Chief Health Office announced that there was a confirmed case of COVID-19 on the island.
Sunday, March 15: UPEI sent another email stating classes would be paused for one week before going online for the rest of the semester.
“Instruction will be paused from Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20, 2020 to allow instructors time to focus on transitioning to alternative course delivery and develop their plan for teaching through to the end of the semester,†UPEI said in a statement.
In their statement, UPEI also added that the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre is closed for the foreseeable future with the exception of the physiotherapy clinic located within the building. The email also stated that all UPEI events are cancelled or postponed until at minimum April 30.
The Mix and Mingle for the UPEI graduating class was one of the events cancelled.
University-related travel outside the province is suspended for all students, staff and faculty until further notice.
Monday, March 16: UPEI announced that the May convocations and the AVC’s White Coat Ceremony are cancelled. All courses in the spring session will be online with the exception of the clinical rotations in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and clinical courses in the Faculty of Nursing.
The UPEISU announced on Monday that all of their planned events and the Panther Patrol will be cancelled for the rest of the school year. The Fox and Crow, UPEI’s campus pub will be closed for the rest of the school year.
Tuesday, March 17: UPEI announced they will only be delivering essential services. Only the following will remain open:
- The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre
- Accessibility Services and Counselling Services at UPEI Student Affairs
- The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Diagnostic Services, Animal Resources, and Central Services at the Atlantic Veterinary College
- UPEI Security Services
- UPEI Chaplaincy Centre
- UPEI Residences
- The W.A. Murphy Student Centre
It was also announced that the Robertson Library will close at 4:30 P.M. on March 17. UPEI said it will work to accommodate students and online resources are still available at this time.
“We ask our students and instructors to continue to use the Library’s extensive online services that are available to them,†UPEI said.
This list will be updated if necessary.
More information on the coronavirus and ways to limit its spread can be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html