Like many of you, we have been carefully monitoring the news regarding COVID-19. As a university, community, nation and world, we are all working through an event that has significant human impact. You are our top priority, and we have been working with campus leaders to consider how it impacts you, while developing plans for multiple scenarios. At WCU, we are focused on your health and well-being, while working hard to minimize the disruption of your educational journey. We want to let you know that we are aggressively taking steps to maintain a safe environment on campus as well as working on contingency plans in the event we adjust the way we teach our classes.
Resource Links
CDC
Center for Disease Control COVID-19
CALIFORNIA
California Department of Public Health
LA County Public Health Coronavirus Page
Orange County Public Heath
San Bernardino County
LiveSafe App
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To prepare for future scenarios that could affect you, we are conducting an online learning pilot at WCU-Miami, WCU-OC and WCU-Ontario in the coming week. We have learned that other universities who have transitioned to a fully online learning environment have experienced technical difficulties and high student frustration, as they did not have the time to prepare for the transition or the high volume of traffic in their learning management system. This pilot is helping us identify and prepare to ensure the readiness of our faculty, systems, and processes in the event we must transition into a fully online learning environment. All simulation labs and clinical rotations will continue at this time.
At WCU we have taken and will continue to take the following steps to ensure campus safety:
- A weekly industrial deep cleaning of all hard surfaces including desks, chairs, doors, and countertops;
- Increasing the number of hand sanitizer stations on campus;
- Increasing cleaning of high touch points to three times daily;
- Reinforcing best practices in disinfecting and cleaning with our facilities crew;
If you are feeling sick or concerned that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, we urge you to stay home and seek medical care. We ask that you contact us as soon as is realistic. WCU is committed to work with you during this to minimize impact to your schooling and academic progression.
Each of us must continue to practice every day cold/flu prevention:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol;
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and then dispose of the tissue and clean your hands immediately. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (not your hands);
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes;
- Stay home when sick for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever, or symptoms of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
For the latest scientific information regarding COVID-19, please refer to the CDC information page.
If there are any updates or changes to daily operations, we will notify you as soon as possible.
