Information about coronavirus (COVID-19)

February 28, 2020

In December 2019, a new virus from the “coronavirus family” was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Since that time, an atypical pneumonia outbreak has been traced to that location. The illness associated with this virus is known as COVID-19. This same virus has also been found in several other countries.

COVID-19’s main symptoms are:

Fever
Cough
Respiratory difficulties

Given the situation’s continuing evolution, and because Polytechnique will soon be on Winter break - when travel is often popular - please take note of recommendations for Polytechnique community members who may be travelling, or returning to Canada after travelling.

The Government of Canada website travel.qc.ca categorizes 4 travel risk levels:

Level 1: Take normal travel health precautions
Level 2: Take special travel health precautions
Level 3: Avoid all non-essential travel
Level 4: Avoid all travel

Prevention

The following standard hygiene measures are recommended:

Wash your hands with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you do not have access to soap and running water
Practice good hygiene when coughing or sneezing:
- Cover your mouth and nose with your arm to decrease the spread of germs
- When using paper facial tissues, dispose of them as soon as possible after use, and promptly wash your hands

Guidelines – travel to foreign countries (Risk Levels 3 and 4)

Until further notice, Polytechnique Montréal has suspended any internship trips, any planned student exchanges to or from, and any Polytechnique-financed travel to or from (including for recruitment and partnership purposes) any country where the risk level has been assessed as Level 3 or 4. This measure is in part due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

For travel to countries where the assessed risk of COVID-19 is Level 2, Polytechnique advises travellers to exercise vigilance and take all necessary precautions suggested by local public health authorities, namely as they relate to hygiene, travel, and emergency measures.

Prior to your departure, it is essential that you check the latest guidelines for your destination country, in addition to verifying the details of your travel heath/medical insurance coverage, to ensure that you will be able to access help overseas, should you require it (due to COVID-19).

All Polytechnique community members who are also Canadian citizens must place themselves on the Register of Canadians Abroad (ROCA), so the Canadian Government can get in contact with you, should that be required. If you are not a Canadian citizen, please investigate the existence of a similar registry with your home country.

Guidelines – upon returning to Polytechnique

Upon your return to campus, it is essential that you follow recommendations set by the Public Health Agency of Canada. In the event that you begin to display symptoms, you must contact Québec’s Public Health Authority (Santé Québec) immediately by dialing 811 from any telephone.

Guidelines for visitors arriving at Polytechnique

When receiving visitors/guests from abroad, for your health and safety, and for the health and safety of the community, it is your responsibility to ensure that you adhere to recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada. In the event that you begin to display symptoms, you must contact Québec’s Public Health Authority (Santé Québec) immediately by dialing 811 from any telephone. A form email is available for use at this link, should you need to communicate this information to visitors.

Polytechnique Montréal will keep you informed of recommendations and guidelines as the situation develops and the most up-to-date information will be posted on this page.