Message from the Vice-Chancellor to staff

Dear colleague,

You may have seen the news of the first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Cardiff area that has been confirmed by Public Health Wales (PHW).

Whilst this may cause concern, Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, is clear: there is no additional risk to the general public as a result of the news.

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales confirmed that the patient had travelled back to Wales from Northern Italy, where the virus was contracted.

Public Health Wales is in the process of identifying and contacting close contacts, and taking all appropriate actions to protect the public’s health.

At this stage, there is no reason to believe there is any connection to Cardiff University.

Ensuring the safety and welfare of Cardiff University staff and students remains our main priority. The University’s Incident Response Team has been established to monitor the situation as it unfolds and will respond to official advice and guidance as it becomes available.

We remain in close contact with Public Health Wales and other official government bodies.

The latest information including the latest travel advice is available from the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England (PHE), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.

We have also created Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) sections on both the staff and student intranets. These pages are reviewed and updated regularly.

If you have any immediate health concerns relating to Coronavirus (COVID-19) you should phone NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47 or 111 for advice.