Dear Students, Staff and Faculty,

In the case of eta College having to restrict students accessing their campuses the following letter is being sent to all stakeholders.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) is a growing concern all over the world.  If eta College had to shut down, we know that the actions we take may be disruptive for all of us. However, we have a duty to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us – our students, staff and faculty who may have compromised immunity because of a pre-existing condition – and who are at a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19.

There are many unknowns about the COVID-19 disease, but two things are clear: (1) social distancing is one of the best protections against the spread of the virus and (2) the virus has the potential to spread rapidly in communities. Due to the increasing spread of the COVID-19 we will put the following measures in place to ensure we protect the safety of our communities.

We will do our best to support our students’ studies while we will seek ways to support virtual connections with one another, using eta Connect and its Moodle platform.  Thus, alternate modes of instruction will be offered, and students will receive more information via eta Connect.

Our faculty will use a range of different tools on eta Connect to facilitate our students learning. This includes but is not limited to announcements and teaching, learning and assessment tools.

Staff’s work may change in the days ahead, but eta College knows we can count on your commitment to ensuring this is successful for all parties. Going forward, we will need everyone’s best ideas to keep our colleges and communities strong as we support our teaching and research mission.

Importantly, the college is not closing. We will continue to offer the services necessary to meet our core academic mission and serve the needs of our community.

While not currently restricted, staff and students should restrict all travel to only essential circumstances.

We encourage all students, staff and visitors to take the following precautions against all pathogens:

• wash your hands for 10-20 seconds regularly with soap and water
• stay at home when you feel sick
• cover your mouth (using a tissue or an elbow) when coughing or sneezing; discard tissues after use, and wash your hands
• avoid close contact with people who are sick
• increasingly clean all surfaces that are frequently touched
• carry a small alcohol hand sanitizer (containing ≥60% alcohol).
• no handshaking (some may want to use a slight bow, fist or elbow bump)

If you are experiencing symptoms and or have recently traveled, please report to your nearest hospital and contact the NICD on 0800 029 999. Please also self-isolate.

We will continue to update all staff and students via our website and eta Connect.