Epidemiological Safety Measures in UL as of April 1

In brief: The main points

• UL employees need a valid vaccination or recovery certificate (with certain exceptions).
• The studies will take place on site, but distance studies are also allowed.
• UL recommends that employees, students and visitors of UL use a face mask or FFP2-type respirator to provide greater protection against the risks posed by Covid-19.
• In case of illness, the person must report it by e-mail covidtrauksme@lu.lv and tel. (+371) 26189898.
• If an employee or a student is recognized as a contact person, UL ensures self-testing of that person for 7 days after contact with the infected person, before beginning onsite studies or work on each respective day.

The Regulations prescribe epidemiological safety measures at the University of Latvia in order to ensure safe studies, further education, interest education and work, as well as to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 infection for UL employees, students and visitors by ensuring compliance with the basic principles of information, observance of distance, hygiene and supervision of the state of health of a person specified in Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 662 “Epidemiological Safety Measures to Limit the Spread of Covid-19 Infection” issued on 28.09.2021.

1. For the performance of work, UL employees must have valid vaccination or recovery certificates, with the following exceptions:

• employees whose workplace is in buildings and outdoor areas, where study process and communication with clients do not take place;
• technical staff who perform work outside the working hours of the UL, i.e., perform their duties within the time period from 22:00 to 8:00;
• employees who work only remotely;
• persons who have a decision of the council of a clinical university hospital to postpone the vaccination for a definite period of time, – until the completion of the full vaccination course, these persons participate in the work process only remotely;
• employees who had a valid recovery certificate as of 31 March 2022. These employees may perform their duties until 30 June 2022 even after the expiry of the recovery certificate;
• Ukrainian citizens or their family members who have left Ukraine due to the military invasion by the Russian Federation. These employees must start vaccination no later than 14 days after taking up their work duties and complete it no later than seven days after the shortest time period specified in the instructions for use of the vaccine, unless another exception indicated in this paragraph applies to that employee.

2. UL employees, students and visitors must comply with the following epidemiological safety measures:

• to follow the directions, instructions and recommendations on epidemiological safety measures at the UL issued by UL administration and made available on the UL website and in the UL e-mail;
• to comply with the recommendations of the Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control;
• the employee has a duty to inform the immediate supervisor or the person authorised by the head of the main structural unit about having a vaccination or recovery certificate, as well as about changes in the validity of the certificate, and present the said certificate to the immediate supervisor or the person authorised by the head of the main structural unit. The employee shall present the vaccination or recovery certificate to the immediate supervisor or the person authorised by the head of the main structural unit in person or via Microsoft Teams online video;
• UL recommends that employees, students and visitors wear a facial mask or an FFP2-type respirator to provide higher protection against the risks posed by Covid-19
• not to stay in the UL premises with the symptoms of acute respiratory infection or in case of quarantine, isolation or self-isolation. Employees and students who are unable to participate in the onsite work or study process must immediately inform the immediate supervisor, study programme director or methodologist by sending them a certificate of incapacity to work as a document justifying the absence;
• to monitor one’s own health condition; if an acute respiratory infection with symptoms characteristic to Covid-19 occurs, it must be immediately reported to the head of the structural unit or immediate supervisor of work, study programme director, methodologist or lecturer of the current planned lecture or seminar, the person must immediately leave the UL premises and contact a doctor;
• to promptly report any cases of infection with Covid-19 or risks related to the possibility of contracting Covid-19 to e-mail covidtrauksme@lu.lv or telephone (+371) 26189898, as well as to provide the head of the labour protection system with all relevant information for communication with the Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

3. If an employee or student is found to be a contact person, UL shall ensure that the contact person performs self-testing for 7 days after the contact with the infected person, before starting the full-time studies or work on each respective day. At taking the 1^st test, it is allowed to issue 2 test sets – one for immediate use and the other to be taken at home in the morning of the next day which is to be spent on site at the UL. The person shall document the results of the self-test completed at home by photographing them and presenting them at the request of UL.

4. The head of the basic structural unit ensures and organizes the verification of the existence and validity of the Certificates of the employees of the respective basic structural unit and the entry of data into the UL Information System. If the employee works in several main structural units of UL, the inspection shall be performed and the data shall be entered by the main structural unit, which is indicated in the UL Information System as the place of employee’s “basic work” or “supplementary work” is registered.

Organisation of studies

1. The study process is organized on site and attended in person. The study process can be organized remotely in compliance with the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 111 of 08.02.2022 “Procedures for the Organization and Implementation of Distance Learning”.

2. The deans of the faculties ensure the implementation of studies in compliance with the epidemiological safety measures specified in the CM Regulation No. 662 and other regulatory enactments and administrative decisions in force at the UL, with comprehensive support provided by the UL administration. The following conditions must be met in organisation of the study process:

• ensuring that students are informed about the epidemiological safety requirements and situations when the status of contact persons has been assigned to the group;
• if information is received that a Covid-19-infected person has been present in an onsite lecture, ensuring the testing of that group with self-tests;
• persons whose self-tests have shown positive results are not admitted to onsite studies and work, and must monitor their health condition;

3. The compliance with epidemiological safety measures and restrictions set by the medical institutions is observed in the implementation of the study process on site in the study programmes of the study direction “Health Care”.

4. In the implementation of the onsite study process in the study directions “Education” and “Health Care”, the students must have a vaccination or recovery certificate, if they must participate in the study practice/internship or acquisition of the applied part of the study programme in educational or health care institutions, respectively.

5. Should the epidemiological situation rapidly deteriorate, the dean of the faculty, in coordination with the head of the labour protection system, may decide on short-term (up to 10 days) full or partial acquisition of the study programme course or module remotely, ensuring that the quality of studies is not diminished. The head of the labour protection system shall inform the SPKC about this decision.

6. When organizing studies remotely, the dean of the faculty ensures:

• indication of remote lectures (lessons) in the timetable;
• holding synchronous online classes (including lectures, seminars, language classes, etc.) in the e-learning and Microsoft Teams environment on the time indicated in timetable, simultaneously recording the attendance;
• implementation of study courses in accordance with the plan specified in the description of study courses, using study organization forms, methods and examination modes suitable for remote studies and distance learning, ensuring that students can achieve the study results specified in the description of study course;
• efficient communication with students;
• access to the UL “My portal” and posting of the necessary topical study materials in e-study environment.

7. In distance learning classes, the student is obliged to turn on the camera and speaker at the invitation of the lecturer in order to ensure the possibility to identify those present in the class and to ensure a quality study process, unless there are technological restrictions.

8. In a room where the study process takes place and which is not equipped with a ventilation system, and the maximum concentration level of CO₂ cannot be regulated, individual airing regime shall be ensured, observing the following basic conditions for proper room airing:

• the room is aired at least once every two hours for at least 15 minutes;
• students and staff do not remain in the room during airing;
• the rooms are aired by fully opening all the windows and doors of the room to be aired, if it can be done;
• the time allotted for the break is used to the maximum for airing the room.

9. In a room where the studies take place and which is not equipped with a ventilation system, and for which the maximum CO₂ concentration level cannot be regulated, airing must be ensured by the lecturer using that study room.