The University of the Balearic Islands is getting ready for the gradual return of face-to-face activities for researchers and admin and services staff, once the lockdown implemented due to the COVID-19 health alert is lifted.
After the coronavirus 2019 outbreak was identified, the UIB implemented a series of steps in accordance with health authority recommendations, the main one being online teaching and working from home.
With the Regional Government approving a transition plan to come out of lockdown, the UIB deems it essential to plan for the gradual and planned reincorporation of staff in the workplace in person, where necessary, whilst ensuring the health and safety of all staff and avoiding infections as far as possible at all times. Nonetheless, the university continues to prioritise working from home.
In this sense, the Executive Council has approved an action protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) from the UIB Prevention Service that sets out the measures to take in order to prepare for the easing of restrictions from 11th May, as long as the health situation in the Balearic Islands allows for it.
General measures
With regard to staff in general, the university will continue to recommend working from home where possible. In this way, access to the campus remains restricted and only allowed with a special pass.
In order to ensure that the return to work is as safe as possible, Executive Council members on the UIB coronavirus steering committee (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Institutional Relations, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Campus Affairs, Cooperation and Health University, and the Head of Administration) will set out a plan for departments, services and units looking to restart face-to-face activities.
The council will contact the departments and services to gather information enabling it to identify and assess staff exposure risk levels, adopt the appropriate measures and monitor the situation. Different questionnaires will be provided for returning staff to the workplace.
PAS and PDI
Along these lines, the council has contacted with head of departments and research institutes as a first step to organise the restarting of research activities, as well as heads of services and administrative units.
Although teaching and assessment will continue online under the end of the academic years, the university believes it is essential to plan the return of research activities for lecturers, as long as the health and safety circumstances allow for this.
In turn, a shift system or alternating face-to-face and remote work will be planned for those activities that require the physical presence of admin and services staff (PAS).
Therefore, in order to organise staff returning based on requirements at the university:
- The heads of departments/institutes shall coordinate the requirements of any in-person attendance of lecturers, exclusively linked to research, with the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research
- The heads of services/units shall coordinate the in-person requirements for admin and services staff with the UIB Administration and Management Office.
All other teaching or admin staff who need to access the campus for any specific requirements need to ask for a pass from the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Campus Affairs or the Head of Administration respectively.
All the measures, instructions for supervisors, and prior questionnaires and forms for the return of staff to the workplace in person are set out in the Action protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
In turn, the Library and Documentation Service is working on a protocol to enable loans of material and resources not accessible online. As soon as it is ready, we will let you know.
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Publication date: Thu Apr 30 12:55:00 CEST 2020
