May 26, 2020
ATTN: Students, parents, faculty, and staff
Director, Crisis Management Office
In response to the government’s lifting of the state of emergency, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (OUAVM) will take the following measures. Your continued understanding and cooperation during this challenging time is greatly appreciated.
1. Classes
Remote classes will continue during the first semester, except certain practical training and other sessions, for which in-class learning will start from July 13 taking sufficient infection control measures.
Details on classes, grading, and practical training and other sessions will be announced as soon as they are finalized via the OUAVM website and online portal.
2．Travel to Obihiro
Since the government is urging people to be prudent in conducting nonessential travel to Hokkaido and other regions, OUAVM advises students who are currently in their hometown to stay in place until June 18. After this time, students should travel to Obihiro, while wearing masks and taking other infection control measures, and arrive by June 28, two weeks before the July 13 start of in-class sessions. After arrival in Obihiro, students are asked to contact the OUAVM Student Services Section by email with the following information: 1. student ID number, 2. name, 3. academic year, 4. course/program and 5. date of arrival (email: sien@obihiro.ac.jp, tel. 0155-49-5310).
After arrival in Obihiro, students are advised to stay home for two weeks, except for essential activities such as hospital visits and trips to buy groceries, medicines, and other daily necessities. They are also advised to take care of their health, using a Health Monitoring Sheet to keep tabs on their health. Anybody with cold-like symptoms or signs of ill health should contact the OUAVM Health Care Administration Center (email: hokekan@obihiro.ac.jp, tel.: 0155-49-5315).Students unable to arrive in Obihiro by June 28 (i.e., those arriving in Obihiro on or after June 29) are asked to contact the Admissions and Educational Affairs Section (email: gakumu@obihiro.ac.jp, tel. 0155-49-5293). OUAVM is considering offering supplementary lessons to students unable to attend in-class practical training and other sessions.
3．Entry to the OUAVM campus
OUAVM continues to ask all students, except the following, to refrain from entering the campus. Those who enter the campus must wear masks, practice cough and sneeze etiquette, sanitize their hands, and avoid the “three Cs” of confined spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings. The exceptions are:
- Students who take remote classes on campus due to internet access limitations at home.
- Students who view class videos as supplementary lessons (only those permitted by the course instructors). Students who attend in-class practical training or other sessions.
- Graduate students who engage in necessary research work.
- Undergraduate students who engage in necessary graduation work on or after July 13, when in-class learning will begin.
- Students who need to enter the campus to submit an application or do other procedures, to receive consultations, to care for animals.
- Students who use the University Library.
- Students who use the cafeteria or the store for a short time.
Note: Students in 4 and 5 must follow their supervisor’s guidance and observe the following three instructions.
- Follow OUAVM’s infection control measures and try to prevent the spread of infections.
- Minimize hours of research work at laboratories as much as possible.
- Work from home whenever possible.
4．Extracurricular activities
OUAVM continues to prohibit students from engaging in extracurricular activities.
5．Domestic and international business and leisure trips
OUAVM continues to prohibit faculty and staff from going on business trips (including those to give lectures or engage in a side business activity), students and faculty and staff from traveling abroad and overseas researchers and other visitors from being invited to or hosted by OUAVM until June 18 — the date which the government has asked citizens to refrain from going out for non-essential purposes. OUAVM also asks students, faculty, and staff to refrain from traveling within Japan until further notice.
Those who have no choice but to travel are advised to avoid contact with other people as much as possible for two weeks upon returning home (e.g., by self-isolating at home), keeping tabs on their health using the Health Monitoring Sheet and observing the OUAVM Individual Response to Infectious Diseases (e.g., mask-wearing and handwashing) to prevent the spread of infections.
Information on the university’s response on and after June 19 will be provided separately.
6．Meetings
Please continue to refer to the document “Points to note in holding meetings and other gatherings.”
7．Work of faculty and staff
Faculty and staff are advised to follow OUAVM’s infection control measures when engaging in research and other activities. If they engage with students on campus, they are also advised to inform the students of those measures.
Faculty and staff are advised to work remotely if possible. For research activities, faculty are asked to refer to the Guideline for Engaging in Research Activities While Preventing the Spread of Infections published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
8．Other
Previous notices of matters that are not covered herein will remain valid. Students, parents, faculty, and staff should stay alert to communications from the university, which will be provided via the OUAVM website and online portal as well as by email.
Please note that the dates and other information in this notice are subject to change depending on the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
References: OUAVM COVID-19 Countermeasures
