Dear USIU Africa Community,

As we continue to monitor the evolving situation of the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) and its impact across the globe and the continent, USIU-Africa is instituting new restrictions on campus events and on travel, in the interests of protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

As indicated in our earlier communique to you, there have been no reports of any members of the campus or the nation at large contracting the coronavirus, and as such, the University remains open at this time. In the event that any decision is made to change USIU-Africa’s operating status, we will communicate that with you as soon as possible.

However, in the interest of our safety, USIU-Africa is now postponing or cancelling events involving large events or other work-related gatherings scheduled to take place on campus until the end of March, in keeping with the Government directive on the avoidance of large gatherings during this time.

This includes events sponsored by the University and by individual schools, departments or units; student-sponsored events; and events sponsored and organized by external organizations. Due to the unpredictable nature of the outbreak and its potential impact on attendees, we regret to inform you that the following events have been cancelled:

• All Culture Week Activities.
• The planned sports teams & Admissions Department trip to Uganda.
• All sports tournaments within and outside the country.

While we recognize that these postponements and/or cancellations are disruptive and disappointing, it is essential that we prioritize the health and safety of all members our campus community. With additional cancellations likely to be made in the future as needed, we recommend that you keep in touch with the organizers of the events as well as with the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs for the latest updates.

We would also like to reiterate that all travel by staff, students and faculty requires approval by the University Health Services. Travel is prohibited to countries with a CDC Warning Level 3 Travel Health Notice — Avoid All Non-Essential Travel. As of this date, the countries with this warning level as a result of COVID-19 are Italy, Iran, South Korea, and China (this does not include Hong Kong, Macau, or the island of Taiwan).

All students who may have travelled through or from countries with a CDC Warning Level 3 or through countries with reported coronavirus outbreaks will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days before they will be allowed to return to campus. “Self-quarantine” means remaining at home, not going to classes or work, limiting time outside of the home, and monitoring your health for at least 14 days after you were last in any Level 3 country, or any with a reported outbreak of the virus.

Should you fall sick with flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, contact the University Health Services Department on 0730116759 or extension 760/761/762/763 or 0780 334668 or tyamani@usiu.ac.ke and seek immediate medical attention. If you are away from campus, you can contact the Ministry of Health though the following toll-free hotlines: 0800721316, 0732353535, 0729471414.