Today, we learned from Governor Jay Inslee that the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order issued March 23 will remain in place until at least May 4. We had expected the extension of this directive, which continues our practices already in place to protect our community, slow the spread of COVID-19 and enable remote-only instruction throughout spring quarter. I continue to be grateful to our entire community for helping the UW to honor our mission of education, research and public service in so many ways, from providing life-saving care to conducting vital research to ensuring our students can continue to progress toward earning their degrees.
As we conclude the first week of this unprecedented spring quarter, I am in awe of our students, faculty and staff who have made the transition to remote learning. Your flexibility and persistence shows how committed you are to both providing and receiving an excellent education. While this quarter will be unlike any in our history, I believe it will be just as rich in discovery, and despite the trade-offs, I expect we will all learn things that we will take forward when we return to normal circumstances.
To our staff who are keeping our University operating in spite of this incredible disruption, thank you. Because of you, students who must stay in our residence halls can access essential services and occupy residences that are kept safe and sanitary. You are making counseling available to help students through this sometimes stressful and dislocating experience, meeting their technology and equipment needs, and ensuring that their academic lives stay on track. In our clinics and hospitals, healthcare providers are literally saving lives. And across the UW, individuals, centers and teams of researchers are providing national leadership in the effort to slow the spread and ultimately end the threat of COVID-19.
I recognize that we are all feeling anxious and uncertain, and that we all have pressing questions. The UW is working quickly to address outstanding issues that are within our control and you can expect to hear from me and other UW leaders with timely updates as we have new information. Although we are far from being out of the woods, data from our state health agencies and our own world-renowned researchers suggests that the measures now in place are beginning to have a positive impact, which means that we must keep at it. At the UW, we will continue to do all we can to enable you to do your best work and to learn and thrive so that we can bring this unprecedented chapter in our lives to a conclusion as safely and quickly as possible.