The Ministry of Health and Wellness reported today March 19, 2020, 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jamaica which includes the country’s first fatality from the COVID-19 virus. The UWI community wishes to express sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased.

Consistent with the curtailment of human contact in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, The UWI Mona wishes to advise of the suspension of walk-in services. These services include but are not limited to:

Effective March 13, 2020, all classes at The UWI Mona Campus were suspended. All teaching and learning activities (quizzes, assignments, exams, discussions, tutorials etc.) at all levels are, therefore, to be suspended until April 14th when classes resume in a remote and online or face-to-face mode.

Some students may have received notifications regarding assignments and group work activities from lecturers/tutors which should not have occurred. We apologize for any anxieties this may have caused.

Dear Students and Staff,

On March 10, 2020, The Government of Jamaica announced the first case of the novel Corona Virus, COVID-19 in the country.

While there have been ongoing preparations nationally and here at The UWI the diagnosis of Jamaica's first case moved us from code green to code orange and from preparation to prevention of transmission; triggering a series of actions in keeping with WHO/PAHO and GOJ guidelines.

Our Emergency Management Team

Reduction of Business Operations at The UWI Mona Campus

The current COVID-19 situation is a dynamic and continuously evolving one and The University of the West Indies (UWI), therefore is in a position of continuous evaluation and re-evaluation of its response plan. This is being done in close collaboration with national agencies, and guided by collective policies, systems, and paramount, is the public health and wellbeing of our campus and wider national community in mind.

The World Health Organization describes the common signs of infection as “include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death”. 

It goes on to state that some persons may exhibit all or very few of the symptoms.

The presence of the virus in an individual can only be detected in a laboratory environment.

Suspension of Classes at The UWI Mona Campus

The leadership of The UWI Mona Campus in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor of the University and other authorities has taken the decision to suspend all classes at both the Mona and Western Jamaica Campuses for four weeks, effective March 13, 2020.

The UWI Mona Campus is closely monitoring COVID-19 in Jamaica. To date, there is still one confirmed case of the virus in the country. The University remains open and operational, with preventative measures being given high priority at this time as the health, safety and welfare of our students and staff remain our top priority. We have contingencies in place to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning and other business operations of the campus.

The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus wishes to advise the public that unscrupulous persons have been circulating notices to convey the postponement of mid semester examinations.

We wish to advise that said notice purporting to be from the Ministry of Health and Wellness is disingenuous and ask all The UWI students and staff not to focus on this type of Fake News as no official notification has been released by the UWI Examination Section.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has confirmed the first known case of the Corona Virus, COVID-19 in Jamaica.

The UWI Mona Campus wishes to assure members of our community that the health and welfare of all students and staff are priority and so all plans and decisions made will be in the best interest of all members of our community.