EL PASO, Texas – On Friday evening, March 13, El Paso health officials reported the first person infected with COVID-19 in our city. We are working closely with public health officials to gather as much available information as possible.
Due to the recent update from El Paso health officials, and in an effort to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in our area, we will implement the following actions:
• Classes for all schools – the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences – will be canceled from March 17 through March 20. Students are not to report to campus. Instruction will continue via distance education/online delivery on Monday, March 23. Deans and faculty will contact students with more details.
• Faculty from all three schools will be utilizing the week to finalize procedures to begin distance education/online delivery on Monday, March 23, 2020 until further notice. On-campus student education (e.g. labs, simulation instruction, etc.) are discouraged and will only be allowed if there are no reasonable alternatives.
• Clinical rotations will continue for third- and fourth-year Foster School of Medicine students as well as students from the Hunt School of Nursing.
• Clinical personnel will remain on duty at clinical sites.
• Faculty and staff on duty can continue to go to campus as long as there is “no increased risk relative to the general population.” Telecommuting options by all department heads should be seriously considered and in the coming days, implementing procedures to facilitate telecommuting should be of top priority. Essential staff is expected to remain on duty on campus unless otherwise directed by the Dean or VP.
• Faculty and staff who continue to come to campus will adhere to social distancing protocols (e.g. no large group gatherings, reminders about hygiene, etc.)