COVID-19: UI suspends conferences, foreign trips, others

From Oluwatobi Odeyinka

University of Ibadan (UI) has suspended international conferences to be hosted by the school, as well as foreign travels of workers.

This was contained in a statement by its leadership as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The management also instructed faculties and halls of residence to provide facilities for hand washing as well as sanitisers.

Students and workers are further advised against handshakes and other body contacts.

The statement reads in part: “As part of precautionary measures to prevent members of the university community from contracting coronavirus (COVID-19), management in consultation with the Director, University Health Service and Director, Infectious Disease Institute, University College Hospital, has taken the following measures:

“All international conferences to be hosted by the university have been suspended until further notice.

“All international travels of staff are suspended until further notice.

“All incoming and outgoing exchange programmes as well as international visits of professors, foreign partners and collaborators are suspended until further notice.

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“All departments, faculties, units, halls of residence, places of worship and other places with high concentration of people on campus are hereby advised to make provision for or resuscitate facilities for handwashing in the immediate environment in order to encourage routine washing of hands. Adequate signs pointing to such should also be provided.

The management also advised that individual members of the university community as well as internal programme organisers to have alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

The management urged students and staff not to panic as preventive measures are being taken to forestall any case of coronavirus in the university.

“Management is working to complement the recommended preventive measures. A monitoring team will go round to ensure compliance.

“There is no need for anyone to panic. These are precautionary measures as education on prevention is still considered the major intervention against COVID-19 and similar diseases,” the statement reads further.