To the University of Manitoba community,

Yesterday I communicated our commitment to taking measures to protect the health and safety of our campuses and our wider community. Our top priority is doing our part to help contain the transmission of COVID-19.

In that same spirit, today I am announcing that there will be no classes on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17. The University campuses will remain open on those days, but there will no classes.

This two-day pause allows the University to prepare to move classes to alternative modes of instruction.

To be clear, as of Wednesday, March 18 there will NO IN-PERSON CLASSES, with rare exceptions that will be communicated directly to those affected. All in-person undergraduate and research-stream Master’s and Doctoral instruction will end March 13. Instruction will be provided by other means that may include existing online platforms. This will continue through the end of the term on April 7.

For now, the voluntary withdrawal date will remain the same (March 17), as will the exam period (April 13-25). We will assess this during the “pause” and communicate further details end of day Tuesday, March 17, or sooner if available.

Our staff are working hard to keep as much of the University operational as possible. The University remains open and we are continuing to provide students with as many essential services as possible under the circumstances. Please keep referring to umanitoba.ca for information and updates.

As I referenced in yesterday’s communication, all non-essential events involving 50 or more participants have been cancelled or postponed.

We continue to actively encourage everyone to maintain the hygiene and social distancing protocols outlined by health authorities.

As we reflect on all the information coming our way during this challenging period, I ask everyone to demonstrate patience and understanding.

The COVID-19 threat is new to all of us; none of us have dealt with precisely this situation before. We are acting out of an abundance of caution and with the best interests in mind of this and the larger community. We are all dealing with this together.  We are committed to doing our best and making the best decisions.

Thank you for your attention. Please look after yourselves and one another.

Sincerely,

David

David T. Barnard, O.M., Ph.D., FRSC

President and Vice-Chancellor

202 Administration Building, University of Manitoba

Winnipeg MB  R3T 2N2 Canada

Email: president@umanitoba.ca