Four new members have joined The UWI COVID-19 Task Force, bringing expertise to address the clinical aspects of the virus. They are Professor Terence Seemungal, Pulmonologist and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at The UWI St Augustine Campus; Dr Carl A. R. Bruce, Medical Chief of Staff and Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of the West Indies and Dr Anna K. Perkins, Senior Programme Officer, Quality Assurance Unit at The UWI whose expertise is in ethics. Newly elected Guild President at The UWI Five Islands Campus, Mr.

The University of the West Indies, (The UWI) Mona will resume classes in an online/remote mode on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. This is following a one (1) month suspension of classes with a view to having the seven (7) academic Faculties prepare to facilitate the delivery of all courses through an online platform and to allow students to prepare to engage teaching and learning using the online/remote delivery mode. All forms of assessment (quizzes, course work, final exams etc.) will also be facilitated online.

On March 13, 2020, classes at The UWI Mona were suspended and Jamaican students residing in Halls were asked to return home for a one (1) month period until further advised. Now that teaching will commence on April 14th solely online, students are being permitted to retrieve their belongings from the Halls of Residence.

When classes were suspended on March 13, 2020 our students residing on Halls were asked to return home for a one (1) month period. Now that we have agreed that teaching will commence on April 14th solely on an online basis, some of our students have expressed anxiety in relation to retrieving their belongings from the Halls of Residence.

RESUMPTION OF CLASSES AND REGISTRATION

Question: When will classes resume in light of the additional restrictions announced by the Government?

Answer: Classes will resume in an on-line/virtual mode on April 14, 2020.

Question: I am not registered; how will get I access course content?

The Government of Jamaica has announced that effective April 1, 2020, from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am daily, there will be an all island curfew. The curfew will run for 7 days, ending at 6:00 am on April 8, 2020.

This means there will be restrictions on public transportation and all movements of persons except where they are members of exempted groups for example, essential workers.

The Sickle Cell Unit (SCU) at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), The University of the West Indies, Mona is urging people living with sickle cell disease (SCD) to exercise extra caution amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to the SCU, people with sickle cell disease may be at increased risk of severe complications if they get COVID-19 and are advised to minimise their risk of exposure by staying at home as much as possible. Against this background, the SCU is rescheduling appointments for people with routine appointments who are well.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and our students being impacted, the following adjustments to the Regulations for Registration and the Payment of Fees are being made in order to ease the burden and anxiety of our students for Semester Two of the 2019-2020 academic year:

We appreciate your patience thus far as we grapple with the extraordinary situation presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Outlined below are the most recent updates on our campus response to COVID-19 as influenced by decisions made by the Government of Jamaica.

This is a fluid situation and we will continue to assess, revisit and communicate any changes to our campus response plan as needed.