The Correspondence to the Outbreak of the COVID-19

•  Cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve or anything else other than your palms when cough or sneeze
•  Wash your hands properly and frequently (rub alcohol hand-sanitizer* on to your hands and between fingers) *in the case of its being difficult to be obtained, use hand soap and wash hands under running water instead

　　Please note that all precautions should be taken as if to prevent other infectious diseases such as common cold and influenza.

　Also, since there is significant transmission by people not showing symptoms, these asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic corona-virus carriers are most likely contributing to the rapid spread of the corona virus. Therefore, changing your way of thinking must be done, and you should think that you are one of these asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic corona-virus carriers and consider what you should do or should not do in order to prevent from transmitting the virus you carry to the others around you. This should be considered as “the new normal.”

1. Correspondence of Faculty Members and Students
　[Going Abroad]
　a. As advised on Overseas Safety Information published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, do not travel to any of the LEVEL 3 areas/regions/countries below listed (including both personal and business trips.)

　b. Avoid taking non-emergency and/or unnecessary trips to any of the LEVEL 2 areas/regions/countries.

　c. When you plan any trips abroad (including personal trips,) please ensure to check and pay attention to the most up-to-date information by accessing Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s website* and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Quarantine Station’s website**. In addition, ensure to notify of your trip plan to the General Affairs Division officer (in case of a Faculty member) or the Educational Affairs Division officers at your faculty/school (in case of a student) prior to the trip.

　d. With regards to studying abroad, it should be re-considered about its necessity or to postpone. For any studying abroad plans/schedules (both on exchange programs or personal,) a close attention should be paid.

　e. Please visit Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s website for more information.
　* http://www2.anzen.mofa.go.jp (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
　** http://www.forth.go.jp/topics/fragment1.html
　　　(Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Quarantine Station)
　　  https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/newpage_00032.html
　　　(Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)

　[Returning from Your Trip from Other Countries]
　a. Any returnees and visitors from other countries are requested to self-quarantine him/herself for 14 days at one of the designated places the Quarantine Station Director specifies as well as to refrain from taking any public transportation during the 14-day self-quarantine period.

　b. Ensure to utilize the self-observation sheet in order to maintain and observe your health condition during the 14-day quarantine period and send the sheet to KU Health Centre via FAX or e-mail when the period is over.

　[Domestic Travel (both Business and Personal)]
　a. Although the restriction of taking any domestic cross-border trips to next prefectures has now been
lifted, continue to refrain from visiting any places where the 3Cs are evident and any areas where its
level of infection is relatively higher.

　[Health Maintenance]
　a. Take your body temperature and self-check your condition every morning.

　b. When having cold-like symptoms, take a leave of absence (utilize the self-observation sheet and make a list of all the places you have visited and all the people you have made contact with incase you are to be requested to report to the Public Health Centre)

　c. Also, if applicable, contact the Coronavirus Support Center (please see below) via Kumamoto Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents;

•  Having a fatigue, a difficulty in breathing, or a high fever
• If you are someone* who is prone to serious illness and showing relatively mild cold symptoms such as coughs and a fever

• If you are NOT someone who is listed above and having mile cold symptoms such as a fever and coughs (You need to contact the “Help Line” if the mentioned symptoms continue for more than four days. Each individual shows symptoms in different degree; therefore, if you feel you are showing strong symptoms, please contact the Help Line. This also includes personnel who is on antipyretic.)
•  If you are one of the members of a corona-virus cluster with or without any shown symptoms

　d. At the Coronavirus Support Center, they will make an appointment for you with a specialist who will examine a suspected case. When visit the specialist’s office, ensure to wear a mask and refrain from taking any public transportation.
　　Also, please contact KU Health Centre at 096-342-2164 not only prior to and after your visitation to a specialist’s office but also the diagnosis/the examination result becomes available.

　[Attending Events]
　a. Any events organized, run, and enforced by Kumamoto University are encouraged to refrain in order to control and prevent the spread of the virus and put attendees’ health and safety concerns as the first priority corresponding to the Notification published by Japanese Government Infectious Disease Control Promotion Office on July 8, 2020.
       https://corona.go.jp/news/pdf/kaisaiseigen_0708.pdf (Japanese)

　b. When attending any events which are held at a venue where it is poorly ventilated, densely crowded, also a high risk of having unpredictable contacts with an unspecified majority is present, you should make your judgement corresponding to the Notification mentioned above, since these venues are considered at a high risk of making clusters.

　
　c. As for other events, re-consideration of its necessity, detailed planning, and precautions for virus prevention should be taken in measure.

　d. In particular, refrain from holding any workshops, parties, or events which involve face-to-face conversations and a high possibility of close contact among participants. As for other gatherings such as welcome/farewell parties, if enough prevention measure cannot be taken, do not plan to hold.

　[Infection Prevention]
　a. Take safety measures in order to keep social-distancing from others such as limiting the duration of meetings, ventilating rooms frequently, dividing and scattering members to use various venues, and having online meetings.

　b. If face-to-face work is necessary, ensure to keep the social distance between each other to prevent the infection.

　[Obtaining the Most Up-To-Date Information]
　The most current information is available and should be obtained from each of the following website;
　Ministry of Education: [COVID-19］Information about MEXT’s measures
　https://www.mext.go.jp/en/mext_00006.html
　Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare: About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
　https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/newpage_00032.htm
　Office for Pandemic Influenza and New Infection Diseases Preparedness and Response,
　Cabinet Secretariat: http://www.cas.go.jp/jp/influenza/novel_coronavirus.html
　(contents available in Japanese only)
　Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/
　(contents available in Japanese only)
　Ministry of Justice: Information related to New Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19) from Immigration Services Agency
　http://www.moj.go.jp/EN/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/m_nyuukokukanri01_00003.html

2. Establishing the Crisis Management Headquarters for COVID-19
　For the prevention and the control of the spread of virus infection/transmission, KU has established the Crisis Management Headquarters.
　Any decisions to be made by the Crisis Management Headquarters will be notified via e-mails or posted on University Portal.
　To accommodate to the constantly-changing situation, the Headquarters will monitor the following section “3. Assumable Future Events” contents closely, make appropriate decisions to overcome each equivalent situation, and inform all staff members and students regarding the future countermeasures; therefore, please beware of any new information to be released.

3. Assumable Future Events
　① A confirmed case or a suspected case found among the University staff members and students (including their co-living family members)
　② A suspected case of a secondary transmission/infection originated by a University staff member or a student

4. KU’s Correspondence to the Above Events
　① and ② Closure of classes and/or Closure of University
　* This is subject to change as each situation will be observed, then an appropriate solution will be proposed


General Affairs Division
Ext. 3117 & 3118

Kumamoto University’s Correspondence to the Outbreak of the COVID-19 (Protocol Version 20)

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