Memorial is suspending all classes and labs (both face-to-face and those currently offered online) at the end of the day on Wednesday, March 18.

Instruction is scheduled to resume remotely on Monday, March 23.

During this time, the university will remain open which means employees will report to work, research activity, work-terms and clinical placements will continue. Academic and student support units such as the Libraries will remain open.

While there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Memorial University, the university is taking this action to further protect the health and safety of students, faculty and staff and the people of the province through implementing social distancing practices. Enhanced cleaning protocols across Memorial’s campuses are currently being implemented.

To be absolutely clear, in-person classes and in-person labs will not resume this semester following end-of-day Wednesday, March 18. Any course delivery from March 23 will occur through remote teaching. In many cases, this will mean online delivery through tools such as Brightspace and other technologies. However, instructors will be responsible for communicating specific course changes to their students.

The pause in instruction from March 19-22 inclusive will allow instructors time to develop their plans for remote teaching from March 23 to the end of the semester. Note that instruction in existing online courses will also be paused from March 19-22 to allow students and instructors time to focus on transitioning to the new circumstances.

The process for completing final exams will be communicated to students in advance of the exam period.

Residences

Residences remain open. To assist with social distancing, we request those students who are able to move out as soon as possible do so between now and Sunday, March 22. Please be assured that anyone who cannot return home, for reasons such as international travel restrictions or exceptional circumstances, will continue to be provided accommodation and support services. Those who move out will receive a prorated refund (room and meal plan) deposited to their student account. Please note, for students’ continued safety we reserve the right to move students to another residence.

Food services will continue. Please be advised that Aramark has enhanced food service and cleaning protocols in place, for example no refillable cups. Enhanced cleaning protocols across Memorial’s campuses are currently being implemented.

Travel

According to the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Newfoundland and Labrador, starting March 14 anyone returning after travelling outside the country is required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days upon their return to Canada. This follows the advice that the Federal Government provided on Friday, March 13. Children who have travelled with their parents must also self-isolate for 14 days, rather than returning to school or daycare. For the latest information from the provincial government related to COVID-19, visit https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/.

Other

Memorial has cancelled or postponed non-essential gatherings and external events of more than 25 people.

Memorial has waived medical notes for employees experiencing respiratory illness less than 14 days.

Memorial University will continue to act with an abundance of caution in an effort to protect the health and safety of the people in our community. We will continue to share information at it becomes available, acknowledging that this is a rapidly-changing situation.

We are currently working on an FAQ to address specific questions about this action. This will appear on the COVID-19 website later today.

For a complete list of updates from Memorial visit: https://www.mun.ca/covid19/news.php.