Dear Students and Faculty:
While we await instructions from IEDCR and the Ministry of Education regarding closure of academic institutions, BU is engaging in efforts to protect our community from the new coronavirus:
- At entry points, security staff may ask to measure your temperature using infrared thermometers and to have you disinfect your hands. Please cooperate with security staff as this is for your own health and safety.
- As the best defense is behavioral, such as frequent hand-washing with soap and not touching one’s face, we have shared instructions so you may start practicing those immediately. Please take those instructions seriously in order to protect yourselves, your peers, family and community.
- We are putting up awareness posters all over campus, and we will be sharing developments as they arise over email notices
- The cleaning crew are increasing their efforts to disinfect washrooms, labs, and other facilities. They need your cooperation and help regarding upkeep. They themselves are most at risk, so please cooperate with them.
- Following WHO standard guidelines, we are canceling all large-scale meetings and gatherings, and minimizing the need for physical meetings by encouraging virtual meetings. This is a step taken by many countries around the world.
- We have prepared for a move to complete the remainder of the semester online (or other alternative media), if that becomes necessary, following similar decisions taken by Harvard, MIT and other universities worldwide. This will allow the university to continue academic activity, without having to shut down, while minimizing the risk posed to BU students.
If the situation changes and new steps need to be put in place, we will be informing you via email, as we are monitoring the situation daily.
Thank you all for your support as we work together to minimize risk and prevent the spread of this infection in our community.
Stay well and safe.
Vincent Chang, PhD
Vice-Chancellor