Contact teaching will start on Laurea campuses in August

The students and staff of Laurea University of Applied Sciences will return to the campuses in August, thanks to the currently stable coronavirus situation in Finland. Face-to-face instruction and examinations that require supervision will be organised on the campuses.

The prerequisite for a safe return to campus areas is responsible co-operation. This means that the campus areas shall only be entered in full health, and everyone shall maintain good hand and coughing hygiene. Laurea aims to maintain appropriate safety distances in all activities. If necessary, the university will also provide protective equipment.

At Laurea, the goal is to effectively protect all students, employees and stakeholders, thus creating a safe study and work environment. To achieve this, each member of the Laurea community is encouraged to commit to the university’s joint guidelines.

Developments in the coronavirus situation are monitored at Laurea on a daily basis. Each week, the management meets for a situation analysis and is prepared to take necessary action in order to ensure the safety of university activities in all circumstances. Possible changes are communicated when necessary.

Do not enter the campus if you are sick or have symptoms

Persons who are sick or present symptoms are not allowed on the Laurea campuses. If any symptoms develop, each member of the Laurea community is obligated to immediately get tested for the coronavirus in compliance with instructions provided by the health care services in their area. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms or suspects exposure can fill out an assessment of their health status at omaolo.fi. (https://www.omaolo.fi)

Hand and coughing hygiene

Each member of the Laurea community shall maintain good hand hygiene. Careful and frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer form an important part of the everyday routines at Laurea. Everyone shall immediately wash and sanitize their hands when entering campus facilities, moving from a space or classroom to another, and otherwise as necessary.

Mouth and nose shall be covered with a disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing, and the tissue shall be disposed of immediately. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not into your hands. 

Read more on THL’s website.

Maintaining sufficient safety distances in all Laurea activities

Sufficient safety distances shall be maintained on all campuses. The recommendation for an adequate safety distance is one to two metres. Sufficient safety distances shall be maintained particularly in the hallways and lobby areas and while waiting in line.

Safety distances shall be observed in the break rooms and shared areas, and residing in these spaces should be restricted to the bare minimum. Hand sanitizer shall be used when entering and leaving these areas.

Sufficient safety distances between students shall be maintained in examination facilities. Students shall not attend exams sick or with any symptoms.

Services on the campuses

The libraries, Student Affairs Offices and ServiceDesk operate normally on the campuses and online. Adequate safety distances and good hand hygiene shall be maintained when visiting the libraries and Student Affairs Offices.

The services of student counselling psychologists and nurses are available on the campuses in compliance with Laurea’s safety instructions. 

Use of protective equipment

As protective equipment, Laurea provides its community members with face masks known as surgical masks. These masks are offered to students in situations such as workshops, where the nature of the activity makes maintaining an adequate safety distance impossible. Read more about the safe use of protective equipment on Intra and LINK.

High-risk groups

Students belonging to high-risk groups shall acquire a certificate from health care services and submit it to the Head of Student Affairs. The goal is to collaborate with both the teacher and the student to organise the studies in a way that does not create a risk of exposure.

General cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces

Cleaning measures have already been enhanced at Laurea. However, even efficient cleaning alone is not enough to keep all surfaces clean in the everyday life of Laurea. Therefore, it is recommended to disinfect surfaces after use (such as public computers on the campuses). There are disinfecting wipes available for this purpose in Laurea's facilities.

Travel abroad for students

There will be no international student mobility at Laurea in the autumn term.

All student travels included, for example, in project work or study units are assessed on a case-by-case basis, focusing on the potential risks. The assessment is carried out by the Security Services in collaboration with the student and the teacher responsible for the trip.

All students are encouraged to observe the risks related to private travel abroad. Such trips may afterwards require a two-week quarantine period imposed by the authorities, during which the students are not allowed to enter Laurea's campus areas. With questions related to travelling, students may contact corona@laurea.fi.

Events on the campuses

Each event organiser shall submit a notification of the event already in the planning phase through this link (in Finnish). This autumn, organising an event requires a permit granted by the Security Services. It is essential that the event organiser ensures already in advance that adequate safety precautions can be implemented in the event, including safety distances and other protective measures.

For more information, contact: corona@laurea.fi