Dear Parents,

We are writing to assure families that UWCSEA is closely monitoring the outbreak caused by a new coronavirus pneumonia first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. We recognise that it has the potential to impact on our community in some manner in the future, especially with increased global travel during the Lunar New Year holiday period.

Firstly, we are following all national directions and advice given by the Ministry of Health.

Within our school community, we are strictly adhering to the UWCSEA Infectious Diseases Policy.

The Infectious Diseases Policy exists to help prevent and control the transmission of all infectious diseases within the school community. It applies to all community members coming onto our campuses and involved in our activities.

Actions within this policy and its related procedures include:

• Identification of students who present with fever and other flu symptoms by Registered Nurses in the College Clinic. 
• Students with symptoms resembling influenza will be sent home (for any affected boarding students, appropriate arrangements will be made) and advised to see a doctor for assessment and diagnosis. Staff will also be advised to go home. 
• Reinforcing good personal hygiene throughout the school with frequent hand washing with soap, e.g., before handling food or eating, after going to the toilet, or from respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing into hands.

We would like to remind all parents of your obligation to help protect the health of our community by keeping your children home from school when they are sick. In addition, students must be fever-free without medication (a temperature below 37.5C) for 24 hours or more before returning to school.

For anyone travelling back to Singapore after the upcoming break (particularly any older students travelling alone), be aware that the Singapore Government will be monitoring temperatures on arrival; we advise anyone with a fever to delay travel until recovered.

We would also like to point you toward the following resources on coronavirus:

Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH)

• MOH Steps Up Precautionary Measures in Response to Increase in Cases of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia in Wuhan (20 January 2020)
  

US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Coronavirus (general information)
• 2019 Novel Coronavirus (current situation overview)
  
  

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Medical Services team:

• Dover Campus: Donna Smith, RN, Head Nurse - collegeclinicdover@uwcsea.edu.sg 
• East Campus: Shaih Mahmood Bin Abu Bakar, RN, Acting Head Nurse - collegecliniceast@uwcsea.edu.sg 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bray, Head of UWCSEA Dover
Graham Silverthorne, Head of UWCSEA East