St. George’s University Students Form a Line of Pride in Support of Grenada

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TRUE BLUE, Grenada, March 14, 2020 — St. George’s University (SGU) has been continuing to follow the global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and has been working collaboratively with the leaders of the Government of Grenada to address the Coronavirus pandemic.

The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff and the larger Grenadian community continue to be of paramount importance to SGU. At this time, we continue to encourage students to leave the island to lessen the burden on Grenada, and a significant portion has chosen to do so. To facilitate these efforts, SGU has chartered aircrafts that have already made a number of flights to major U.S. hubs.

“The measures we are taking are in line with best practice and guidelines being encouraged by global health organizations and followed by universities throughout the world,” said Richard Liebowitz, MD, Vice Chancellor of St. George’s University. “Our goal is to ensure our students and faculty help reduce density on campus and on the island of Grenada to reduce any potential future spread of the virus and free up resources on the island for those who may need them most. Our actions were not related to any specific medical situation on the island, but to achieve the goal of lessening the spread of disease in the future.”

SGU is working collaboratively with key stakeholders in the Grenadian community, including the Ministries of Health and Education, as well as the Grenada Airport Authority to help manage the situation and facilitate a smooth process. SGU will not direct students to return to Grenada until it is safe to do so for all and will be transitioning to online learning activities for all students, including the School of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Arts and Sciences, over the next week.

While SGU continues to facilitate students, who want to leave the island, some have chosen to remain in Grenada, both on and off campus. The campus will remain operational, and SGU intends to maintain full staff pay and benefits during this pandemic. SGU is continuing to assess the situation and is actively communicating with those on campus.

SGU is also continuing to work closely with the Government of Grenada to assist with preparations for enhancing the public health infrastructure on the island.

“As in past crises, SGU stands with the people and Government of Grenada to address any challenges and provide appropriate support as we face this challenge together,” Dr. Charles Modica, Chancellor of SGU, stated. “Our students lined up at the airport represent a line of pride for their medical education in Grenada and their commitment as future physicians to unburden the Grenadian health care system during this unprecedented pandemic.”

Chancellor Modica added: “We are actively in the process of assisting in procuring and providing medical equipment to the Grenada General Hospital and laboratory, as well as professional assistance to support both local needs and those of students and best prepare the island’s health care system for the potential threat.”

To date, no member of the university community has contracted COVID-19. SGU remains vigilant and will continue to coordinate with Grenada’s Ministry of Health, and our international partners.

St. George’s University Follows Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education to Stem the Spread of COVID-19

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TRUE BLUE, Grenada, March 12, 2020 – St. George’s University has been closely following the global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), including its recent characterization as a pandemic as well as the potential implications it may have on our True Blue Grenada campus and the larger community in Grenada.

While at this time there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Grenada, the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff and the larger Grenada community are of paramount importance to us. Our goal is to make prudent decisions that reflect our commitment to the ongoing safety of our campus community and that of the people of Grenada.

SGU has decided to encourage all international students on the Grenada campus to return home with the situation being re-evaluated by April 15. Students will only return to Grenada when it is well advisable and the global pandemic has stabilized. We will be in close coordination with the Ministry of Health regarding the timing of students’ return. Some students and faculty, both local and international, will remain in Grenada and our campus will remain open for all who continue to reside there, with full use of campus facilities. This approach is consistent with recommendations for Institutions of Higher Education from public health officials, and mirrors the actions taken by many universities around the globe to limit the density of large populations on their campuses. The plan is for only small groups to meet face to face, with appropriate social distancing, with the further development and implementation of online education to reduce the need for face to face classroom gathering.

We will continue to operate the campus in Grenada with full staffing, with no change to current employment status, pay or benefits.

These actions are taken out of concern for our students, faculty and staff and the desire to maintain public health in Grenada, in light of this rapidly changing situation. SGU is also working closely with the Government of Grenada to assist with preparations for enhancing the public health infrastructure on the island.

“As SGU has done in the past during challenging times, we will continue to stand with our Grenadian partners and the people of Grenada with support and close collaboration,” Dr. Charles Modica, Chancellor of SGU, said.

Prime Minister Mitchell stated, “We appreciate the close partnership with SGU and Chancellor Modica, and want to support all efforts to lessen the risk to Grenada of COVID-19. We will continue to closely coordinate with SGU to address this issue and mitigate the impact on Grenada.”

To date, no member of the university community has contracted COVID-19. We have been working diligently with the Ministry of Health, Grenada and our international partners to consider every contingency that will allow us to limit exposure to the disease among members of the SGU and Grenadian community.