Effective immediately, The University of Western Ontario is prohibiting non-essential, university-related travel by faculty, staff and students to Mexico.
Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President (Resources & Operations), says the travel advisory is a follow-up to the recommendations provided by the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Kulczycki says systems are in place to determine cases of essential travel and will review the precautions with the individuals.
“If it is non-essential, we really don’t want people travelling to Mexico at this stage on university-related matters,” she says.
Any exemptions must be approved by:
Shelagh Bantock
Clinical Director, Health Services,
519-661-2111, ext. 84730, sbantock@uwo.ca
In consultation with the following members of Western’s leadership team:
Gerald Kidder
Associate Vice-President (Research)
Linda Miller
Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Jane O’Brien
Associate Vice-President (Human Resources)
There are no special concerns, nor special precautions related to faculty, staff or students returning from recent travel to Mexico or currently in Mexico as long as the travelers are feeling well.
Faculty, staff or students who are ill with flu-like symptoms, or who are ill with flu-like symptoms within seven days of returning from Mexico, or who have had contact with someone who is ill who recently returned from Mexico should stay home from the university until they have been checked out by a health care provider or have been symptom free for one day.
The ill individuals should seek advice from their health care provider only if their symptoms would normally prompt them to do so. There is no need for a visit to a health care provider if their symptoms are mild.
Kulczycki also recommends members of the university community check the travel reports and warnings from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada for any other travel advisories.