FNU COVID-19 Contingency Plan

Posted On: March 16, 2020

Social distancing

Staff are strongly requested NOT to engage in the normal social conventions of shaking hands or hugging during this period, to minimise their risk of infection.

Hand washing

The best way to protect yourself from infection is to wash your hands regularly.  The cleaning contractors will be installing new soap dispensers in all washrooms starting this week.

International Gatherings

There is a ban on attending conferences or seminars in Fiji with international delegates or speakers.

All visits by international delegates to the University are suspended with immediate effect.

Graduation

The College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) graduation ceremony scheduled for Friday, 27 March is postponed, due to the significant number of regional students and families involved.

Note: The Labasa graduation will proceed as scheduled on Thursday, 19 March.

Council Meetings

The Acting Chancellor has advised that all Council meetings and sub-committees will be conducted wholly via Zoom with immediate effect, given the number of international members of Council.

International Travel

There is a complete ban on all University-funded international travel with immediate effect.

Staff are strongly advised not to travel internationally for personal purposes.  If you have to travel to countries affected by the Fiji’s current travel restrictions, please note that you will need to include in your annual leave request an additional 14 days after your return to cover the period you for which will be required to self-quarantine.  Note: sick leave and/or annual leave and/or family care leave (if quarantined with family) and/or leave without pay must be used for the duration of the self-quarantine.

Key staff required for business continuity

In the event that the University is required to close its campuses should there be an outbreak of Covid-19 infection, the Directors of support divisions have been requested to identify those staff who are critical to our business continuity.  These staff will be provided with the ICT equipment and support necessary for them to operate software systems like payroll, website maintenance, telephone reception services from home.

Teaching via Moodle

In the event that the University is required to close its campuses should there be an outbreak of Covid-19 infections, academic staff are requested to deliver their courses by Moodle, supplemented by email, online discussion forums and Zoom.

The Centre for Flexible and E-Learning is preparing guidance and support for staff to help them deliver their teaching from home.

Mobile phone communications

If you do not have a mobile phone provided by the University, you should provide your mobile phone number to ICT.  They will register on our database, so you can call any university number or other FNU registered user free of charge.

Professor Nigel Healey

Vice-Chancellor

Fiji National University