COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is classified as a disease that is dangerous to public health and to society under the Communicable Diseases Act. This enables the Public Health Agency of Sweden and county medical officers to take relevant preventive measures to prevent the spread of infection.
Uppsala University is following the recommendations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Public Health Agency of Sweden and is cooperating with the responsible regional authorities. The University is also cooperating with other higher education institutions to produce national guidelines and advice on certain issues, such as contacts with the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) and the Swedish Higher Education Authority. We are also sharing experience and information continuously.
Several authorities have compiled information on their websites that can also guide us at Uppsala University. See especially:
The general recommendations that Uppsala University sent out last week still apply:
- Keep up to date via the Public Health Agency of Sweden and Ministry for Foreign Affairs websites and apps. The Public Health Agency of Sweden has set up a number to call for information: 11313. Start with the online information.
- If you have members of staff or students who have visited affected areas, ask them to work/study at home for two weeks after returning home. If they develop influenza-like symptoms they should call the health advice line (1177) and follow their advice. They should not go to a health centre or hospital emergency department.
- If you have members of staff or students who are confirmed sick, the communicable disease control authorities will deal with this, but please also inform the Duty Officer at Uppsala University by telephone 018-471 25 00.
- The University advises against non-essential travel as recommended by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In the case of planned visits to other affected areas, consider whether it is essential to travel. Can the trip be postponed? Can an alternative type of meeting be arranged? The same considerations apply to incoming visits and exchanges from affected areas.
- Make sure that everyone books business travel via Lingmerths and has flexible tickets.
- Encourage your staff to install Zoom so they can take part in remote meetings and conferences.
- Make sure the contact lists at your department (email addresses, home telephone numbers) are up to date.
- Take stock of international contacts in your activities that could be affected if the disease continues to spread. Make preparations without causing anxiety.
- Encourage your staff to wash their hands.
Many questions have been coming in to different divisions and departments of the University. Here we have put together the most frequently asked questions.
Coronavirus FAQs:
One of my staff/students is sick and has been in an affected area. What should I do?
Ask the person to call 1177 and follow their instructions. The communicable disease control authority will get in touch with the department if testing confirms the person is infected. You should also contact the Security and Safety Division via 018-471 2500
Why has Uppsala University imposed stricter restrictions than the Public Health Agency of Sweden?
To protect our students' and employees' study and work environment, Uppsala University has made stricter recommendations for work environment reasons. Recommending that staff and students work or study at home for two weeks after returning from a risk area is a limited measure to reduce anxiety in the study and work environment.
I commute between Uppsala and Stockholm. Are there any restrictions on travelling by rail?
No, not currently, but keep up with the latest information via the Public Health Agency of Sweden. For travel by public transport, the general recommendations apply: if you are sick, stay home; remember to wash your hands and use hand gel; sneeze and cough in the crook of your arm.
I have a member of staff/student/doctoral student who has just visited Iran, China, South Korea, Italy and affected areas. What should I do?
The guideline is that the person should work at home for two weeks after returning home and if they have influenza-luike symptoms, they should call 1177 and follow their advice. Please note: they should not go to the hospital emergency department or the health centre. This is to prevent the possible spread of infection but also for work environment reasons, so as not to worry other people in the department. You as employer can assign the person tasks that can appropriately be performed away from the workplace.
Will people be paid during the two-week period at home?
Yes. But this only applies to people who have been in affected areas.
The person concerned cannot perform their working duties at home. Who pays their salary in that case?
You as employer can assign the person other tasks that can appropriately be performed at home. If this is impossible, it’s the department/division that should pay in the first instance, alternatively the faculty, and in the last instance the University.
I have a member of staff who has been travelling by air but not in an area classified as a risk area. The person wants to work at home for safety’s sake. Are they allowed to?
The person has to work as usual. It is up to you as manager to decide if it is suitable for them to work from home. If they are sick, they should be on sick leave and stay home.
I have a member of staff who is in quarantine in another country.
It is important to remain in contact. They should be paid and receive a daily allowance as usual. If they have a computer with them, they can carry out some working tasks. For further information, see the Swedish Agency for Government Employers website.
I have a member of staff who is supposed to travel to an international conference/make an international trip. What should I do?
Follow the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommendations. They are updated regularly. At the moment, many international conferences are being cancelled. If it is in an affected area, the University advises against travel.
The University is following the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommendations on travel and the airlines’ recommendations.
It is important to find out what the position is at the host university – what rules are in place there. Universities in both China and Italy have closed. In this situation, it could be advisable to be careful about travel in general. However, the most important thing is to monitor developments. Make a risk analysis. Where is the person going? Is the trip essential? Could it be replaced with a meeting via Zoom or a videoconference?
Can I force someone to cancel a trip?
Yes, if the trip is to an area that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs advises against.
We are hosting an international conference. Should we cancel it?
Many meetings and conferences are being cancelled at the moment. Is it possible to postpone the conference and hold it at a later date? Would it be possible to hold a videoconference or use Zoom instead?
We have a PhD defence with an external reviewer from Italy/China/Korea. Who can take the decision to cancel the defence?
The head of department can do that. It is possible to cancel a PhD defence and postpone it. However, it is also possible for a person to take part in a defence electronically, e.g. the external reviewer could participate by videolink.
Who pays for the cancelled PhD defence party?
Invetsigate whether this is covered by home insurance.
My students are absent from mandatory course components, such as lab sessions. What should I do?
The syllabus applies. Try to manage students’ wishes in a positive spirit in line with the Guidelines on working conditions for students, point 2.4: “Each department must also be prepared to provide students who are temporarily sicklisted or are caring for sick children, for example, with individually tailored solutions regarding examinations and compulsory course components, where this is possible.”
I have a group of students who come from or have been travelling in Italy/Iran/South Korea or another affected area. Do they have to be quarantined?
According to the recommendation, they should study at home for two weeks. Keep in touch with them via Zoom or in some other way. Explain to those who come from other countries how Swedish health and medical care works and where they can find information.
What happens if we have to cancel a course or several courses?
If a teacher becomes sick, another teacher can be brought in or the course can be adapted and given by webcast lectures. Zoom meetings/seminars etc. and in that case there is no need to cancel the course. If the government decides that we have to close the University, as has happened in other countries, the question will be dealt with at national level.
What will happen about placements?
If a placement organisation closes, the department has to explore the possibility of finding another host for the student’s placement. If this cannot be arranged at short notice, it may be necessary to change the timing of the placement.
Can the semester be rescheduled?
The Vice-Chancellor decides on the dates of semesters, so that possibility can be considered if the problems become protracted.
What happens when exchange programmes are cancelled? Can students go anyway?
No, if there is no exchange, you can’t go under Uppsala University’s aegis. We will attempt to organise other courses here instead so that you can study something else if we have to cancel the exchange.
What do we do if certain courses have to be cancelled?
If a teacher becomes sick, another teacher can be brought in or the course can be adapted and given by webcast lectures. Zoom meetings/seminars etc. and in that case there is no need to cancel the course. If the government decides that we have to close the University, as has happened in other countries, the question will be dealt with at national level.
My students are absent from mandatory course components, e.g. lab sessions. What should I do?
The syllabus applies. Try to manage students’ wishes in a positive spirit in line with the Guidelines on working conditions for students, point 2.4: “Each department must also be prepared to provide students who are temporarily sicklisted or are caring for sick children, for example, with individually tailored solutions regarding examinations and compulsory course components, where this is possible.”
What will be the financial impact on the University if we are unable to receive paying students from China and other affected areas?
We are looking into this.
I have a member of staff who is anxious and wants to work at home. Should they be allowed to do this?
No, not unless they have been in one of the risk areas identified by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
I am going on holiday and will be flying, should I then stay at home for a few weeks?
No, not if you haven’t been in an affected area (as defined by the Public Health Agency of Sweden or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs). You should work as usual.
Questions from students:
My course has been cancelled, what should I do?
Contact the department, your degree programme or course coordinator.
I have been in northern Italy/Iran/South Korea, should I come in to the department?
The University recommends that you stay at home for two weeks after returning home. Contact your programme coordinator, director of studies or study adviser at your department for more information.
How will this affect my degree?
When you apply to take your degree and meet the requirements for it, this will be processed as usual.
Will extra exams be arranged?
If an exam is cancelled for any reason, the department should arrange an exam at another time instead.
How much does the University have to adapt its teaching so that I can complete my studies?
The syllabus applies, which means that students are subject to the same requirements and the mode of examination that is specified must be followed. The information in the syllabus about type of instruction also applies, although unless the syllabus clearly states otherwise, the teaching provided can be changed e.g. by switiching to more online lectures.
If courses are cancelled, what happens to my student finance?
This is unclear at present. Uppsala University has raised this issue together with other higher education institutions in Sweden to try to obtain national guidelines on this.
What happens to my student finance if I become ill?
This is unclear at present. Uppsala University has raised this issue together with other higher education institutions in Sweden to try to obtain national guidelines on this.
The university I was supposed to be going to on an exchange has been closed.
We will attempt to organise other courses here instead so that you can study something else if we have to cancel the exchange. Contact the member of staff responsible for exchanges at your department or the Division for Internationalisation.
What will happen about my student finance?
This is a question for CSN (the Swedish Board of Student Finance) and Swedish higher education institutions are working with CSN to find a good answer that will apply nationally.
A neighbour on my corridor is suspected to be infected. What should I do?
If it is relevant, you will be contacted by the communicable disease control authorities.