From: Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students
Susan McCahan, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education
Date: January 31, 2020
Re: Information for Professors Responding to Students Concerned About Attending Class or Exams

Confirmation of the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Toronto is raising concerns and questions among members of the University of Toronto community. University leaders are carefully monitoring the situation and are in communication with faculty experts who work in our affiliated teaching hospitals and in public health.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health advises that the risk to Ontarians is still considered low. We will be communicating with you should the situation change.

No one should be excluded or banned from attending classes. 

We suggest you advise students as usual to check Quercus and their U of T email for information regarding any class cancellation or change.

There are simple things you and your students can do to protect yourself from the Coronavirus and the flu – washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water, using hand sanitizer, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow.

As always, anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms should stay at home or in their residence room. Any person who is experiencing symptoms and has visited the affected region recently, should contact their health care provider.

As part of our best practices with respect to academic continuity, teaching staff may wish to refer to Supporting Course Resiliency:  Best Practices for Teaching Staff.

For more information, visit www.utoronto.ca/coronavirus.

Please send your questions or concerns to the following contacts:

Faculty: Kate Enros, Director, Academic HR Services & Faculty Relations, kate.enros@utoronto.ca

Staff: Sean Suleman: Executive Director, Central Administration HR Services, sean.suleman@utoronto.ca

Students: Meredith Strong, Director, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students  meredith.strong@utoronto.ca