Feb 28, 2020
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
In an effort to keep you informed on the novel coronavirus disease, now being referenced officially as COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, we are sharing this message with our campus community. The university has established a COVID-19 Update Page where you can go to check the latest information.
To date, no cases have been reported at the University of Mississippi or elsewhere in Mississippi. We continue to monitor this situation closely, including any travel restrictions that may impact our university community. We are evaluating university-associated international travel continuously to ensure that we can best support our faculty, staff, and students. The COVID-19 Update Page will be kept current regarding all travel restrictions for the university.
As a reminder, the risk of contracting this virus remains very low in the United States. To prevent the spread of many infections, please practice good respiratory hygiene – including frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, refraining from touching your face, nose, and mouth, and staying home while you are sick. If you believe that you have been exposed to the coronavirus, notify your physician, Student Health or Employee Health immediately.
With spring break quickly approaching, we know that many in our community may travel. We recommend that all travelers stay aware of travel notices that have been issued or may be forthcoming from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State, including country-specific information on destinations throughout the world. Individuals traveling to any region under an alert or warning should check-in with the university’s Office of Global Engagement to receive advice and additional information.
As a university community known for caring about each other, this is a time when we all need to be understanding and compassionate. The fear and uncertainty that accompanies widespread illness can lead to many reactions. We should all be aware of and avoid broad generalizations and assumptions. Classifying people as dangerous or sick, or making assumptions about a person’s nationality based on their physical appearance is not appropriate, whether intentional or not. Please treat all members of our community with respect and empathy as our university and the entire world deals with this evolving situation.
The safety, health and well-being of the university community remain our highest priorities. Please visit the COVID-19 Update Page for the most up-to-date information from the university on this topic. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the campus community as needed.
Noel E. Wilkin, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Travel notices/advisories
CDC:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
U.S. State Department:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
Other Resources
COVID-19 Update Page:
https://provost.olemiss.edu/covid-19update/
UM Messages on COVID-19:
https://communications.olemiss.edu/coronavirus/
Student Health:
https://healthcenter.olemiss.edu/services-2/
Employee Health:
https://healthcenter.olemiss.edu/employee-health-service/
UM Office of Global Engagement:
https://global.olemiss.edu
CDC What To Do If You Are Sick:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/steps-when-sick.html
Johns Hopkins Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases:
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6