Health Protocols and Guidelines for Campus Access, the Use of University Facilities, and Holding of Events on Campus (Memo U2122-047)

Memo to        :           The University Community

Subject           :           Health Protocols and Guidelines for Campus Access, the Use of University Facilities, and Holding of Events on Campus

In consideration of the new IATF alert classification system and the desire of the university to return to some degree of face to face interaction while still providing our community and our guests with the safest possible environment to live, study, and work, we are implementing the following policies related to campus access, the use of university facilities and the holding of events on our campus. 

These policies are consistent with local and international safety standards, but will still enable us to support daily and contingency operations related to our core educational mission and encourage wider participation and better outcomes while still maintaining an environment of trust and professionalism.  They will take effect on January 1, 2022.
 
GENERAL UNDERSTANDING
 
1. On-Site Work for University Employees

As a general rule, our employees will be expected to work on-site at Alert Levels 1, 2 and 3. The timetable for returning to work for individual offices will be laid out by the cluster Vice Presidents in coordination with each office supervisor, following the detailed guidelines in the President’s memo U2122-046.
 
To comply with distancing requirements and to ensure the safety of our employees, work schedules will generally be based on a “one-week on-site” and “one-week work from home” system, to be set by the individual office supervisors.
 
2. Face to Face Classes

Face-to-face (F2F) classes will be conducted on-site beginning January 2022, according to a timetable to be set by the individual school units.  Face-to-face tertiary level (LS and APS) classes will be allowed at Alert Levels 1, 2 and 3.  Face-to-face basic education classes (SHS, JHS and GS) will be allowed only at Alert Levels 1 and 2.
 
The different School Unit Heads will release their respective timetables for a return to face-to-face classes and on-site activities in separate memos.
 
 
GUIDELINES FOR CAMPUS ACCESS
 
These guidelines will cover all locators inside the various Ateneo de Manila University campuses (Loyola, Rockwell, Ortigas and Salcedo) including Jesuit residences, affiliated units, and tenants
 
As a general rule, only fully vaccinated employees, students, visitors and guests, suppliers, contractors, service providers, and delivery crew shall be allowed entry on campus.  Only fully vaccinated residents will be allowed to live on campus.

• Unvaccinated employees, students*, residents, and regular visitors to the campus (including suppliers, contractors and service providers, parents and drivers of students) must undergo a PCR test and receive a negative test result at Ateneo’s Blue Swab facility** every two weeks at their own expense.

*Subject to review with VPBE and the JHS/GS administration if and when they decide to begin holding f2f classes, for students too young to qualify for vaccination under IATF and DOH guidelines.
**A separate testing facility in the Makati area will be accredited by the university and may be used as an alternative to Blue Swab for those who are Makati-based.

• Anyone requiring regular campus access (e.g. employees, students enrolled in classes with a face to face component, suppliers, contractors, service providers, parents and drivers of students) must enroll in the BluePHR system which will serve as the health monitoring, campus access, and contact tracing system for the entire community. Details are presented below.

• Casual or infrequent visitors to the campus (e.g. visitors to the Art Gallery or the Rizal Library) will not be asked to enroll in the BluePHR system but must request prior approval for their visit from the concerned office by filling up and submitting a Campus Access Request Form together with a copy of either their vaccination card or a negative PCR test result taken no more than 72 hours prior to their visit and administered by a DOH accredited testing laboratory.

• Delivery riders (e.g., Grab or Lalamove drivers) can gain campus access by presenting their vaccination cards. Otherwise, their deliveries will have to be deposited at the gates, and the intended recipients must pick up these deliveries from the security personnel at the gate.

• Everyone entering the campus (whether on a regular or on a casual basis) must fill-up the government-mandated Health Survey Form no more than 12 hours prior to each scheduled campus entry.   No one is exempted from this requirement.

• For those enrolled in BluePHR, these Health Survey Forms should be filled on the BluePHR app, so that their QR codes will reflect the fact that they have complied with this requirement.
• For casual or infrequent visitors, these forms are available digitally as a Google Form, or in hard copy, at the gate. 

• Campus residents are deemed to have “entered” the campus and are subject to the above requirements every time they exit their residences.

 
 
MINIMUM PUBLIC HEALTH STANDARDS TO BE ENFORCED ON SITE

• Wear face masks at all times (face shields are optional)
• Maintain a 1.5-meter radius between individuals at all times
• Wash hands as frequently as possible
• Keep face-to-face close interactions between individuals to no more than 30 minutes 
• Ensure adequate ventilation in enclosed venues
• Regularly clean high contact surfaces (knobs/handles, transaction windows, switches, etc.)
• Dispose of all waste at designated collection bins
• All existing (i.e., pre-pandemic) policies on safety and health, including the rules on smoking, the consumption of alcoholic beverages and prohibited substances, the observance of traffic and parking rules, etc. remain in effect.

 
USE OF UNIVERSITY FACILITIES AND HOLDING OF EVENTS ON CAMPUS
 
In general, only activities that align with the central mission of the university will be allowed to be conducted on-site, including but not limited to:

• support for online classes
• research
• essential onsite work
• approved limited face-to-face classes and academic activities
• relief operations and COVID-19 response initiatives

 
Social and cultural gatherings will be limited to those of the university community and must be individually endorsed by the unit heads.
 
Subject to the university rules and regulations, outside organizations may be allowed to use our facilities for COVID-19 response initiatives and other government-mandated undertakings.
 
The maximum allowable capacity for any enclosed facility must be based on the minimum 1.5-meter physical distancing rule (in compliance with the CHED and IATF guidelines), regardless of Alert Level.
 
 
EVENTS ALLOWED ON CAMPUS UNDER EACH ALERT LEVEL

 
¹For Alert Levels 2 & 3 – a “bubble” must be set up if the event duration is more than 3 days
²Varsity teams will have a different set of guidelines, as set by the appropriate supervisory and regulatory bodies
 
 
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION FOR CAMPUS ACCESS AND CONTACT TRACING
 
We will use a web-based program, BluPHR, to automate our campus access, health monitoring and contact tracing efforts.  
 
All students, employees, campus residents, and other individuals who regularly come to campus will be asked to open an account on BluPHR.  This will include even drivers and parents who are dropping off students.  Each account will include the following information:
 

 
BluPHR will generate a unique QR code for each person. The screen for the QR code will include a photo and identification number of the individual involved, as this QR code will henceforth serve as the digital ID or “BluePass” for that individual.
 
When students enroll in a class that requires campus access for F2F sessions, this information is uploaded to BluPHR in real-time and a new QR code is generated with this information.
 
When an individual takes a PCR test at Blue Swab (or the university-accredited Makati-based testing center), the date and the result of the test are uploaded to BluPHR in real-time, and a new QR code is generated with this information.  The validity period of tests taken at Blue Swab (2 weeks) will be monitored by BluPHR.
 
Campus Access (Campus Gates)

• Beginning January 2022, security guards at each gate will determine an individual’s eligibility for campus access by doing a visual inspection of their BluePass, or digital ID, as generated through the BluPHR system, and seen on their smartphones.   In the case of vehicle entry, all persons inside the vehicle must have a valid BluePass, including the driver.

 
School Unit Access (at designated unit access points)

• Temperature scanning, checking of Health Declaration Forms and scanning of individuals’ BluePass/QR code will be performed at the school unit access points by authorized personnel.

 
Monitoring of Health Status

• For employees, monitoring of health status will be devolved to the level of the office supervisor.
• For students, monitoring of health status will be devolved to the level of the school unit.

 
Contact Tracing

• The Loyola Campus will follow contact tracing protocols prescribed by the Quezon City LGU. Aside from having their personal QR codes scanned upon entry into the Loyola campus, everyone will be required to use their BluePHR app to scan the Location ID QR codes of each building that they enter.  These Location ID QR codes will be posted at the designated entrances of each building.

• Because the ASMPH, APS Rockwell and APS Salcedo campuses are made up of single buildings.  QR codes will be scanned only upon entry into the campus.

• Everyone entering any of our campuses will still be required to use the LGU-prescribed contact tracing application, as appropriate, on top of BluePHR:  PasigPass (Pasig City), KyusiPass (Quezon City), and StaySafe (Makati City).

 
While the opening of accounts on BluePHR will be done on an individual basis, the names of those authorized to open such accounts must be submitted to the BluePHR administrator through the following offices:

1. University employees – OHRMOD
2. Contractors, suppliers and service providers of school units (eg employees of the school cafeteria) - OHRMOD
3. Students, persons accompanying students (e.g. parents, drivers) – the respective school unit heads
4. CSMO contractors - CSMO
5. CFMO contractors - CFMO
6. Employees, contractors, suppliers, service providers and regular clients of auxiliary units, and/or tenants of the university - OVPAIS
7. Residents, employees, contractors, suppliers, service providers and regular visitors of the various Jesuit residences and seminaries on campus – Jesuit Health and Wellness Center

BluePHR will separately release a detailed FAQ to help us learn how to navigate their system.

I realize that the above details impose an additional burden and responsibility on the entire community, but we believe they are necessary for the health and wellness of those we learn with and work with in the Ateneo.   I ask for everyone’s cooperation and strict compliance with the above.