Coronavirus Information

Public health has assessed the risk of the 2019 novel coronavirus as low for Canada and Canadian travellers abroad. The risk to Canadian travellers in China is assessed as high.

Health authorities have recommended that people who have travelled to Hubei province in China should contact Region of Waterloo Public Health within 24 hours of arriving in Canada. Students can also contact Health Services on 519-888-4096, employees should contact Occupational Health. These travellers should stay at home and avoid close contact with others, including those in their home, for a total of 14 days from the date they left Hubei province. 

Travellers arriving to Canada from other parts of mainland China are advised to monitor themselves for symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus for 14 days after leaving China and to contact Region of Waterloo Public Health or Health Services on 519-888-4096 if they feel unwell. 

If you feel unwell, please contact your family doctor or attend Health Services or call on 519-888-4096 to book an appointment.

Symptoms of 2019-nCoV range from mild – like the flu or the common cold – to severe and can include fever, a dry cough, difficulty breathing, body aches, and gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea.

As a precaution, UWaterloo Health Services has updated its triage protocols in the campus Health Services. As a result, Health Services staff will ask patients about recent travel and respiratory symptoms upon entering the health centre and may be asked to wear a face mask depending on their answers. 

Health Services has also advised patients and campus to take simple sanitary precautions that can help prevent against a range of illnesses. 

Precautions include:

• covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• frequent washing of hands
• avoid contacting with others who are sick
• avoid touching your face

We have not received any advice from public health authorities advising us to change our class schedule, how courses are delivered, or how we consider academic accommodation. As such, these areas currently remain unchanged. 

Details on normal academic regulations and accommodations can be found on the University’s academic calendar.

Students are reminded that our rules and practices regarding accommodations for justified absence from class and/or from assessments are in place to support student success and mitigate the effects of extenuating circumstances on their academic progress. Students delayed from returning to class because of the coronavirus outbreak – for example, because they have recently returned from Hubei province and are advised to self-isolate –  should secure what documentation they can pertaining to the absence, and communicate with their instructors and advisors as soon as possible regarding their absence from the University.

If you believe you have experienced extenuating circumstances or experienced unfairness related to coronavirus which has affected your academic record, you may wish to discuss with your academic advisor whether to submit a petition for exception to academic regulations in line with Policy 70.

On January 29, the Government of Canada raised the risk level for travel to China to “avoid non-essential travel.” In light of this change, we are suspending all travel to China on University business until further notice. 

We will remain in touch with travellers in China to offer our assistance, as required, on a case-by-case basis. 

If you are on co-op term in China and you have any concerns you can contact your co-op student advisor or work term support who are standing by to offer guidance. Other travellers in China must contact safetyabroad@uwaterloo.ca to agree next steps.

If you have future plans to China, please contact Waterloo International for guidance on making changes. 

We strongly encourage you to register all planned international travel with the Safety Abroad Team at safetyabroad@uwaterloo.ca to access travel safety information, emergency assistance and access to various services provided by Anvil Group.

1. Should I isolate myself at home to protect myself against the novel coronavirus?

• If you have not recently travelled to China, there is no current recommendation to isolate at home to protect against coronavirus. You can take simple precautions such as hand washing and proper cough/sneeze protocols, which protect people from a range of illnesses (see below for more details). 

2. If I recently travelled to China but do not have any symptoms, should I avoid being around people?

• Health authorities have recommended that people who have travelled to Hubei province in China should contact Region of Waterloo Public Health or Health Services on 519-888-4096 within 24 hours of arriving in Canada. These travellers should stay at home and avoid close contact with others, including those in their home, for a total of 14 days from the date they left Hubei province. 

• Travellers arriving to Canada from other parts of mainland China are advised to monitor themselves for symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus for 14 days after leaving China and to contact Region of Waterloo Public Health or Health Services on 519-888-4096 if they feel unwell. 

3. Should I wear a face mask if I am going to be in public?

• Health authorities have not generally recommended that people wear face masks in public as a preventative measure. They have recommended precautions such as hand washing and proper cough/sneeze protocol, which protect people from a range of illnesses (see below for more details). 

4. If I am concerned that I may have symptoms of the novel coronavirus, who should I contact?

• If you left China within the last 14 days or have been in close contact with someone who left China within the last 14 days and you feel unwell, please contact your family doctor or call Health Services on 519-888-4096.

At Waterloo, we value each other as individuals. We all belong here. Fostering our spirit of genuine care and concern is so important at a time when many people are feeling scared or nervous about the coronavirus outbreak. We must show empathy and concern for people in our community who are directly affected by the virus and work together to stand against racism of any kind. 

We understand that many of our students have family members in Wuhan and China who may be affected by the coronavirus. If you feel overwhelmed or anxious and need to talk to somebody, please don’t hesitate to contact the University’s Campus Wellness services, either Health or Counselling Services.

Please visit or call Health Services  (519-884-4096), drop by the Counselling Services office in Needles Hall North, 2nd Floor or phone 519-888-4567 ext. 32655. Visit the Campus Wellness page for hours of operation and additional information. Campus Wellness services are provided at no charge in a private and confidential setting to University of Waterloo students who are currently registered or on a co-op term.

A team of stakeholders from across campus meets regularly to monitor and respond to the current situation and we will continue to issue communication to keep the campus community aware of the latest developments. We are following plans and protocols already in place to prevent the spread of infectious disease on our campus.

Our University team is receiving input from Campus Wellness, Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services, Public Health Ontario, along with the Ministry of Health.

The University’s official Twitter account and the Daily Bulletin will also share updated messaging.

If you have questions or concerns about coronavirus and Waterloo, please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca and our teams will help to find the right campus contact.