March 12
Dear KAUST Community,
The CCMT and
the Coronavirus Taskforce continue to meet regularly to proactively appraise the situation,
and set strategy and necessary policies that continue to strike a balance between protecting
the community and minimizing disruption.
I want to emphasize, there are no confirmed
COVID-19 cases currently on campus and we are working hard for that to continue to be the
case.
The following are items that we wish to update you on
today.
Remote working
The University is now enabling managers to
support their team members to work their normal daily working hours from their
residence on campus, Jeddah or another location. This may include varying their start
and finish times. Every team, department or division at KAUST is different and not all work
may be conducive to working remotely, so team members are asked to talk with their
manager and team to establish expectations on working remotely. This arrangement
might change depending on the business need and the status of COVID-19. Team members
will be expected to report back to their offices at any time. Therefore; working remotely
outside the kingdom will not be considered a practical option.
Remote working, once
agreed, must be approved by the responsible VP or Dean. KAUST leave and benefits policies
will also be reviewed as the status of COVID-19 changes. Full details of the Emergency
Management Remote Working Procedures can be found here.
Managers and personnel are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the document and the
requirements required under the Procedure, prior to implementation. For advice or guidance
about the Procedure, managers can contact their HR Partner for
support.
Critical service staff
A plan is in place to ensure that
critical service staff will be accommodated in on-campus residences.
Remote
teaching
Remote teaching has begun at the University. As of March 11, all
in-class courses were successfully moved online across the three academic divisions.
Research continuity
Research groups have
been asked to make contingency plans to maintain research continuity. The University will
also maintain central services critical to maintaining research activities. Support for
research continuity and the safe shutdown and reopening of labs is being put in place in
order to minimize, as far as possible, consequent disruption.
Social
distancing
Social distancing means "remaining out of places where
people meet or gather and maintaining distance from others" and it is an effective
mechanism to tackle the spread of a virus outbreak. An infected person in a large gathering
can infect others rapidly and social distancing measures can help to slow the
spread.
The KAUST Coronavirus Taskforce are advising that you consider the
following social distancing tactics:
KAUST mosque operations are complying with recent guidelines
from the KSA Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Tamimi and campus
facilities
We aim to continue business as usual, and this includes Tamimi
stores, the diner, and dining services and facilities, and we have the contingencies in
place to do so. Social distancing will apply in all shared spaces including reduced seating
and the encouragement of takaway.
As of today, March 12, the cinema has a reduced capacity of
50 people per showing. We will continue to monitor the cinema and all other recreation
facilities.
Daycare
Building Blocks Daycare will remain open for
registered children.
Off-campus transport
The off-campus shopping
buses have been suspended for the next 30 days. We will review in the coming weeks with the
goal of returning to business as usual as soon as possible. The hospital buses will continue
to run for people with hospital appointments.
Personal
visitors
All personal visits should be cancelled for the next 30 days. This
position is subject to review. Exceptions will be assessed by the CCMT and on an individual
basis.
Reimbursement
This is an update to the previous measures
put in place on March 1, 2020.
KAUST recommends that ALL travel plans and that ALL
non-essential travel is postponed. As part of our continuing review process we are now able
to put the following in place to support people who have been impacted by KAUST travel
restrictions.
If you are advised by KAUST to remain in a high-risk region, you will
not be required to use annual leave or unpaid leave.
If you have made
adjustments to personal travel plans, including plans for immediate family (spouse, children
and parents) to visit you at KAUST due to KAUST-imposed restrictions and are unable to
recoup costs:
Thank you for all your support and
cooperation.
Tony F. Chan
KAUST
President