UMA Preparations and Planning for COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Dear UMA Community,

As you heard from Chancellor Dannel Malloy in his February 28 communication, the University of Maine System is well underway in preparing and planning for Covid-19 (Coronavirus). A UMS Health Advisory website has the most up-to-date information, including links to the US and Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites.

The UMA Emergency Response Team members have been participating in System coordinated meetings and discussing campus-specific plans. As we prepare for any situations that might arise there are some steps each member of this community can do to ensure you keep informed:

  1. Update your contact information in MaineStreet. Additional instruction on how to review and update your information is available here.
  2. Sign up for Emergency Alerts. All maine.edu emails automatically receive Emergency Alerts unless you opt-out. You may check your current alert status here and options for email and/or text alerts are available. (This same Emergency Alert System announces weather cancellations.)

We will use the Emergency Alert System to communicate to the UMA Community any actions that you need to take and any decisions that we make in preparing and dealing with Covid-19.

Currently, UMA’s class schedule and activities remain the same. We will advise you should this situation change.

While as of this date Maine has no reported cases of Covid-19, it is important for everyone to remain vigilant and follow the CDC guidelines:

  1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  2. Stay home when you are sick.
  3. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw it in the trash.
  4. Wash your hands with soap and water, or if not available, use hand sanitizer.
  5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Practice other good health habits: get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
In closing, I want to thank the faculty, staff, and students for your attention to these instructions.

Best regards,

Rebecca M. Wyke

Rebecca M. Wyke, Ed.D.
President