One UW-Milwaukee Foundation Office employee is awaiting novel coronavirus test results. The employee was admitted to a local hospital yesterday because they fell ill after coming in contact with someone who had been to a country with a Level 3 warning, according to a press release by Chancellor Mark Mone.
Test results will not be available until the end of the week and the employee is not at work at this time, according to the release.
Classes that can be moved from in-person to online settings will do so as quickly as possible under the Academic Continuity Plan developed by an academic subteam of the UWM Infectious Disease Preparedness Team.
The team launched a novel coronavirus website to provide more details and further updates on the situation at UWM
Provost Johannes Britz asked the deans of schools at UWM and other campus leaders to provide information on additional classes that can be moved online.
Spring break term is now March 15 through March 29 and the university advises all students to avoid all three UWM campuses during that time. Students living in university housing will be given additional details on their housing situations by Friday of this week, according to the release.
Some courses might need to be canceled because they will not be adaptable to an online setting or other kinds of remote teaching settings, according to the Academic Continuity Planning website.
There are three confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection in Wisconsin residents in Dane and Pierce counties currently.
UW-Milwaukee is updating its travel guidelines to include:
- All upcoming University-sponsored travel for students is being canceled through the end of the semester. This includes university-sponsored Spring Break trips.
- All upcoming University-sponsored travel for employees is being canceled through the end of the semester for areas severely impacted by COVID-19. This currently includes China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Spain. This list may change as additional areas are impacted by COVID-19.
- Anyone returning from these severely-impacted areas must self-quarantine for 14 days, whether or not symptoms are present, before returning to UW-Milwaukee campuses.
- We also strongly discourage employees and students from any non-essential travel outside of Wisconsin until the end of the semester. If you do opt to travel, please know that there are health risks involved. If you travel outside of Wisconsin, we ask you to self-monitor for 14 days for fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
- Students who are already overseas with study abroad programs in countries that do not have Level 3 warnings should consult with UWM study abroad administrators on whether to stay or return.
Update (6:50 p.m.) Provost Johannes Britz stated in an email that all classes will be held this week as usual until Saturday.