I hereby introduce the following rules of conduct to be respected by foreign students participating in international exchange Programs, in case of a suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection:
Chapter 1
DEFINITIONS
§ 1
The following definitions have been adopted for the purposes of this announcement:
1) foreign student – a student/doctoral student doing a course of studies at Lodz University of Technology, as a participant in an international exchange Program;
2) exchange Program coordinator – Head of the International Cooperation Centre of Lodz University of Technology;
3) vice-dean for student affairs – the vice-dean for student affairs competent for the major being studied by the student – participant in a foreign exchange Program;
4) close contact with a person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus:
a) being in close proximity (face to face) with a sick person, less than 2 m away for more than 15 minutes,
b) direct physical contact with a person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, e.g. a handshake,
c) direct contact without protective measures with the secretions of a person infected with COVID-19, e.g. touching a used tissue, exposure to coughing of a sick person,
d) staying in the same room as a person infected with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes, e.g. in a lecture hall, conference room, office room;
5) close contact person - a person who had close contact with a person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the 3 days preceding the day of ordering a test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the infected person;
6) quarantine - isolation of a healthy person who was exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is imposed by authorized entities (State Sanitary Inspectorate);
7) isolation at home - isolation of a person who has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, imposed by authorized entities (State Sanitary Inspectorate);
8) self-isolation at home - self-isolation of a person at home, due to symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as a result of an order issued by the Exchange Program Coordinator at Lodz University of Technology. Self-isolation at home takes place in the period from receiving the order issued by the Exchange Program Coordinator until the referral / registration for a SARS-CoV-2 virus test;
9) learning with the use of distance learning methods and techniques - learning with the use of methods and techniques using infrastructure and software ensuring synchronous and asynchronous interaction between students and teachers;
10) self-observation - activity consisting in self-observation of one's health condition, in terms of possible symptoms of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, by people from close contact who have not been quarantined by the sanitary services.
Chapter 2
PROCEDURES IN THE CASE OF STUDENTS WITH A SUSPECTED INFECTION
§ 2
A student with SARS-CoV-2 virus infection symptoms
1. A student who develops symptoms of a SARS-CoV-2 infection should immediately perform the following actions:
1) immediately inform the Exchange Program Coordinator, if possible without contact (by phone and / or e-mail), about the suspected virus infection;
2) no later than within 24 hours, contact their primary care physician or a physician providing after hours (nighttime/weekend/holiday) medical services in order to undergo a remote consultation / consultation / visit and obtain a referral for a SARS-CoV-2 virus test; current information is available on the website: https://www.gov.pl/web/coronavirus;
3) if their health condition allows it, participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques (absences during classes taught in the period when the student is referred to self-isolation by the Exchange Program Coordinator will be justified).
2. The Exchange Program Coordinator should immediately perform the following actions with reference to a student defined in paragraph 1:
1) order the student to contact, as soon as possible (no later than within 24 hours), a primary care physician or a physician providing after hours (nighttime/weekend/holiday) medical services in order to undergo a remote consultation / consultation / visit and obtain a referral for a SARS-CoV-2 virus test; current information is available on the website: https://www.gov.pl/web/coronavirus;
2) order the student to self-isolate at home and to reduce contact with others to a minimum (household members);
3) if the student’s health condition allows it, order them to participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques.
§ 3
A student referred for a test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
1. A student referred for a test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus should immediately perform the following actions:
1) inform the Exchange Program Coordinator by phone and / or e-mail about the referral for a SARS-CoV-2 virus test;
2) provide the Exchange Program Coordinator with information on close contact people from Lodz University of Technology that the student had contact with during the 3 days preceding the day of ordering the test;
3) perform a test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus;
4) stay at home until the test result is received (in the period from being referred for the test until the test result is received, the student is quarantined by sanitary services);
5) if their health condition allows it, participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques (absences during classes taught in the period when the student is quarantined will be justified).
2. The Exchange Program Coordinator should immediately perform the following actions with reference to a student defined in paragraph 1:
1) if the student’s health condition allows it, order them to participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques;
2) establish, in cooperation with the Vice-dean for Student Affairs, a list of the employees / students / doctoral students of Lodz University of Technology who are close contact people for the student (the list should include names, surnames and contact numbers of the people listed).
§ 4
A student who has tested positive for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
1. A student who has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus should:
1) immediately inform the Exchange Program Coordinator by phone and / or e-mail;
2) follow the recommendations of doctors and sanitary services;
3) if their health condition allows it, participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques during self-isolation at home (a student’s/doctoral student’s absences during classes taught in the period of self-isolation at home will be justified).
2. The Exchange Program Coordinator should, with reference to a student defined in paragraph 1, immediately provide information on the positive test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, obtained for the student/doctoral student defined in paragraph 1, to the Crisis Management Centre of Lodz University of Technology, onto the following email address: office.vrector.students@adm.p.lodz.pl and to the Vice-dean for Student Affairs competent for the course of study of the infected student.
3. The Vice-dean for Student Affairs should, with reference to a student defined in paragraph 1, immediately notify the immediate superiors (at Lodz University of Technology) of the people included in the list referred to in § 3 (2) (2) that they had close contact with a person who has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and should follow guidelines set out in Announcement No. 6/2022 of the Rector of Lodz University of Technology.
§ 5
A student who has tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus
1. A student who has tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 should:
1) immediately inform the Exchange Program Coordinator by phone and / or e-mail;
2) return to learning in accordance with currently applicable rules.
2. The Exchange Program Coordinator should order the student defined in paragraph 1 to return to learning in accordance with currently applicable rules.
Rozdział 3
PROCEDURES IN CASE OF CLOSE CONTACT PEOPLE
§ 6
Procedures for students – close contact people
1. In case when the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is another student of Lodz University of Technology, the student – close contact person for the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus conducts self-observation and, in case of symptoms characteristic for a SARS-CoV-2 infection, informs the Exchange Program Coordinator about them and follows the procedure described in § 2.
2. In case when the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a household member, the student – close contact person for the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus:
1) undergoes a quarantine ordered by sanitary services (the State Sanitary Inspectorate);
2) during the period of quarantine ordered by the State Sanitary Inspectorate, the student participates only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques (the student’s/ doctoral student’s absences during classes taught onsite in the quarantine period will be justified).
§ 7
Procedures for the Exchange Program Coordinator in the case of students - close contacts
1. If the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is another student of Lodz University of Technology, the Exchange Program Coordinator should immediately inform the student – close contact person about the obligation to conduct self-observation and, in the case of symptoms characteristic for a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the necessity to immediately inform about this fact.
2. If the person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a household member, the Exchange Program Coordinator should order the student – close contact person, during the quarantine period imposed by the State Sanitary Inspection, to participate only in classes taught using distance learning methods and techniques (the student’s absences during classes taught onsite in the quarantine period will be justified).
Rozdział 4
FINAL PROVISIONS
§ 8
In all other circumstances not covered by this Announcement, related to a suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially referring to the organization of classes and provision of work by the employees of Lodz University of Technology, rules provided in Announcement No. 6/2022 of the Rector of Lodz University of Technology shall apply.
§ 9
The regulations applicable to foreign students participating in international exchange programs, in the case of a suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, included in Announcement No. 5/2022 of the Rector of Lodz University of Technology of January 26, 2022, issued on the basis of Regulation No. 21/2020 of the Rector of Lodz University of Technology of March 9, 2020 on specific measures related to preventing, counteracting and combating COVID-19 at Lodz University of Technology, are repealed.
§ 10
The Announcement comes into force on February 25, 2022.