After months of semi-lockdown, the Confederation has issued directives for a gradual but cautious return to a more open functioning of the various sectors of society. UNIL has followed this development with measures applied in gradual steps. However, the pandemic situation which had greatly eased in May is now undergoing a resurgence, which demonstrates the need to proceed with prudence and vigilance. The prospects for the start of the academic year are very uncertain and require preparation for a mode of teaching that will most certainly be hybrid (partly at UNIL and partly at a distance).
The UNIL Rectorate has therefore kept its steering unit, the CoronaCell, which enables it to closely monitor the situation and take the most appropriate measures, taking into account both the opportunities for relaxation and the need for restrictions that the evolution of the pandemic may impose, at national and regional level, or within the UNIL community.
In the immediate future, and for the summer period until 31 August, UNIL’s Rectorate confirms the measures taken following the relaxations recommended by the Federal Council on 8 June, noting that the additional relaxations subsequently stated by this authority concerned situations that are not applicable to UNIL, in particular major public, cultural or sporting events.
The emergence of new cases of contamination, which have been reported in the press in recent days, shows the extent to which personal protection measures are still necessary, in particular hand hygiene, keeping the distance of 1.5 m between two people and wearing a mask when this cannot be respected and on public transport. In addition, anyone who presents symptoms should use the coronacheck online tool or consult their doctor as soon as possible and go into quarantine.
For the rest, the provisions at UNIL concerning face-to-face or remote work, protection of vulnerable persons, access to the campus or the organization of exams during the month of August remain as they were enacted at the beginning of June. The only addition to these changes is the opening to students, as of June 29, of the BCU reading rooms and study rooms at the Amphipôle to facilitate exam preparation. Public events, celebrations and aperitifs are currently excluded on campus.
You will find the current measures at UNIL in a brief form under the navigation point « Update« on the website unil.ch/coronavirus/en, and in a more detailed form on the specific pages « Study », « Teach » and « Work ».
The Rectorate also invites the members of the UNIL community to follow the recommendation issued by the Federal Council to download the SwissCovid application.
The UNIL’s Rectorate wishes you a beautiful summer, hopefully helping you to overcome the special conditions of this spring that we have just experienced.