In January 2019, as the World Health Organisation declared the novel coronavirus a public health emergency, The UWI activated its COVID-19 response plan.
Cognisant of its dual responsibilities to its internal communities as well as to its stakeholders in the wider Caribbean region, The UWI unleashed a two-fold response.
Its primary matter of concern was the well-being of its administrative staff and 28 students present in China, who were enrolled in a programme at the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology (UWICIIT). As The UWI remained in regular contact with them, offering support, practical assistance and counselling, while reaching out to their families at home in the Caribbean, this association with our Chinese partners also allowed the university the advantage of a swifter response as compared to many of our counterparts in Europe to the Caribbean reality and risks, once a global pandemic became evident.
In February 2020, the University established The COVID-19 Task Force comprising in-house subject- matter experts. It was based upon the collaborative model pioneered in 2016 for the UWI Zika Task Force. The COVID-19 Task Force was chaired by Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies and former Director of the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre.
The Task Force comprised experts in areas such as virology, epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, critical care, respiratory medicine, pulmonology, health leadership, emergency medicine, veterinary medicine, mental health, public health, clinical psychology and counselling, tourism, trade, international relations, public education, youth advocacy, ethics, and communication, among other areas.
The prevailing themes upon which the Task Force first focused were public health policy; clinical care; ethics; psycho-social care; gender; economic simulation; tourism recovery; students; and communications. One of their earliest tasks was to help create the UWI COVID-19 Management Plan (UWI-READY), which was approved on March 9, just days before a case was confirmed in a UWI campus country.
In accordance with government mandates, in-person classes were suspended in March 2020. The UWI convened special executive management meetings In accordance with government mandates, in-person classes were suspended in March 2020. The UWI convened special executive management meetings with its senior leadership, the student leadership and roundtable discussions with WIGUT presidents, and leaders of unions representing all categories of staff to discuss the threats and opportunities posed by COVID-19.
The UWI Rapid Response COVID-19 Impact Survey was launched across all five campuses in April 2020, to determine the extent of mental health and psychosocial problems being experienced by students and staff so that we could respond at the macro UWI level and the individual campus levels.
Mental health services were made available remotely through Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The Psychosocial Unit delivered counselling and training for professional service providers on topics relevant to the handling of COVID-19 scenarios.
The impact survey will be repeated periodically to allow for monitoring and recording over time.
A substantial percentage of registered students exist in financial and social circumstances that made it difficult for them to keep up with classes and even to live normal lives during the pandemic. While several existing programmes were already in place to assist students with severe financial constraints, such as the Adopt-a- Student programme and the Student Hardship Fund, but it was recognised that the circumstances required a more targeted response.
The decision was made by the Vice-Chancellor, the Campus Principals, Pro Vice-Chancellors, University Bursar and University Registrar, to volunteer a percentage of their salaries, which signalled the birth of a special UWI Cares Fund to help students impacted by the pandemic. This was supplemented by various other fundraising initiatives across the university system, engaging staff, students, alumni, donors and partners
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