Daily Update on Campus Safety and Covid-19

THIS POST IS A REPUBLISHED VERSION OF AN EMAIL COMMUNICATION SENT BY AUP PRESIDENT CELESTE M. SCHENCK ON FEBRUARY 29, 2020, ABOUT COVID-19 AND AUP'S RESPONSE. IT IS PART OF OUR SAFETY & SECURITY BLOG THAT ROUNDS UP ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

I am writing to you today to keep you informed about our ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and orderly return of our students to campus on Monday and the measures that we have taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the AUP community.

While the number of cases for Covid-19 in France remains very low, we are working closely with local authorities and in line with the recommendations of the French Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization to support students in their return to Paris and to ensure their continued safety. To that end, we decided to cancel all study trips to Italy for the remaining semester and we will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and take decisions for other study trips on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that all students and staff returning from at-risk areas will be required to respect a 14-day self-quarantine. These areas include China, Singapore, Iran, South Korea and northern Italy (Milan and Venice). This self-quarantine is precautionary and should not be a cause for alarm.   Health, Residential Life, Guidance Counseling and Academic Affairs offices will be working closely with each student to ensure their well-being during this period and to allow them to keep up with their academic work from their homes. When you are speaking to your sons and daughters, I ask you to remind them to urgently complete the Spring Break Travel Survey and that, in the unlikely event  that they show any potential symptoms, to please immediately contact International SOS (01 55 63 36 35) and the AUP Health Office (01 40 62 05 77 or healthaup.edu) for support; or your local Covid-19 helpline if self-quarantining outside of Paris.

As parents ourselves, we understand the concerns that you may have and I want to reassure you that our staff is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of your children. Please know that we will communicate regularly with you in the days ahead during which our every preoccupation is with the safety and wellbeing of our students. Please expect to hear from us again tomorrow via email and on our safety and security updates blog.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Parent Relations Manager, Dana Callaghan at parentsaup.edu. We are available to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.