LAU Measures

Action Plan for COVID-19 Outbreak in LAU Premises

Definition of Close Contact 

Close contact can involve any member of the LAU community, whether a student, faculty or staff, either through direct face-to-face contact or through touching.

Close contact includes someone who:

• comes within 2 meters of an infected person
• stays more than 15 minutes with an infected person
• undertakes group work with an infected person
• has been coughed or sneezed on by an infected person
• has cleaned an infected person’s bodily fluids

Suspected case of COVID-19:

If a student/staff/faculty becomes unwell

• Immediately inform the Health Services Office (HSO)
• HSO will take the appropriate measures:
  • Provide the student/faculty/staff with a mask
  • Ask the student/staff/faculty to leave the premises directly and inform them of a medical facility able to provide needed care
  • Conduct an assessment to identify the people who have been in contact with the infected person(s) and the potential risk for the spread of the virus.  Accordingly make the needed decisions to evacuate sections of the university as recommended by the infectious diseases team at the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital. 
  • Classes dismissals will be made on a case-by-case basis using the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and the specific cases in the impacted community and upon medical experts’ recommendations  
• LAU’s Hospitality Department will supervise the proper cleaning and disinfection operation according to the established cleaning procedures
• LAU’s Strategic Communications Department must be informed of the case by HSO as soon as possible to ensure that timely and orderly communication is sent out to the communities at risk to limit or prevent the transmission of the virus

NB:The suspected case of COVID-19 should be quarantined until the test result is out

If the test is negative, the student/faculty/staff should stay at home until total recovery

If the test is positive:

• LAU Hospitality Department will supervise the thorough cleaning and disinfection of locations where the infected person was at LAU according to the cleaning protocol and as per the recommendations of the infectious diseases team at LAU Medical Center - Rizk Hospital
• HSO will collaborate with experts in infectious diseases at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital to conduct an evaluation of the situation:
  • They will identify people who may have had close contacts with the confirmed case
  • They will assess who among such persons should be placed under quarantine
  • They will give those placed under quarantine instructions, including:
    • Tips on how to self-quarantine (refer to home quarantine procedure)
    • Screen for fever and other respiratory symptoms daily. If they develop any symptoms within their 14-day observation period, they should be tested and report to the Health Services Office

Locations in LAU premises will be closed upon the recommendation of the LAU-Medical Center infectious diseases team.

• All will maintain anonymity
• May offer remote counselling services

People not identified to be in contact with the confirmed case do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities such as attending educational settings or work, unless they become unwell or are required to do so by government authorities or the LAU administration to limit the spread of the virus. 

The resumption of the classes and the end of quarantine will also be decided according to the recommendations and assessment of the infectious diseases team at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital.

Finally, if a student, staff, or faculty member attended class, work, work-study, or some other type of gathering or event prior to being confirmed as a COVID-19 case, infected person should inform the Health Services Office. Risk assessments will be conducted and appropriate measures taken in collaboration with the medical experts from LAU Medical Center- Rizk Hospital. 

LAU COVID-19 protocols

• Beginning Tennis Course Guidelines
• Class Exam Protocol
• Cleaning Protocol
• Clinical Simulation Center Protocol
• Conferences and Events Protocol
• Distribution of Diplomas Guidelines
• ECC Protocol
• EEE Exam Readiness
• Front Offices and High Risk Areas
• Health Services Protocol
• HES- USP Interviews Guidelines
• Manufacturing Lab and Workshop Reopening Guidelines
• Meetings Protocol
• PCOA for the New PharmD Class Readiness
• Research Laboratories Cleaning Protocol
• Residence Hall Protocol
• Transportation Protocol - Arabic Version
• Transportation Protocol - English Version

Access to Campuses

During the strictly-essential-services-only operations period, and for its duration, the campuses will be accessible to faculty, post-docs, individual students for cause, and staff on duty.

Academic Advising

The academic advisors will be available online to assist you with inquiries and provide you with the needed guidance regarding rules and regulations, new grading system, how to overcome academic difficulties, and much more. Please view the detailed list of our services and how you can reach us. 

Academic Success Center (tutoring)

The Academic Success Center is committed to the success of students and we continue to offer most of the tutoring sessions online. The tutoring sessions are delivered via ZOOM or WebEx and the summer semester e-tutoring schedule will be available soon on  Portal .

Activities and Events

All university activities and events are conducted online.

Admissions

The entire process from applying to paying the application fees and sending all the documents can be done online. The team is available by email and through the online chat service. Visit the Admissions Office website for details.

Career Development Services 

The Career Development Services team remains committed to assisting students and alumni as well as employers virtually using online platforms such as WebEx and Zoom. To answer some of your questions and concerns, please view the detailed list of our services.

Certificates and Transcripts

As a safety measure, the Registrar’s Office will not provide documents in person. However, it will continue to offer online services related to document requests (excluding diplomas) via the E-Request option.

Gym

LAU Athletics facilities will be closed on both campuses.

Contact us for enquiries. 

LAU Facilities

Academic Spaces, Public and Common Areas

Libraries

For health related purposes, we will grant access to library space only to those students with prior bookings. No walk-in is allowed even if seats are available. 

Access will be limited to two hours per student per day. Please bring along your personal laptops as all lending services will remain to be suspended and library desktops will be deactivated. However, kindly refrain from booking or cancel your booking if you do not feel well.

Follow this link to book your 2-hour slot.

For your safety and the safety of others, please observe the below “Health Safety guidelines” at all times when at the library:

• Enter the library with your mask on and keep it on at all times.
• Bring only essential items such as IDs, laptop, calculator, water bottle, alcohol hand-rub sanitizer, etc.
• Wash your hands with sanitizing solution upon arrival to the library.
• Leave immediately after you are done.
• You are expected to keep social distance at all time; two meters from the other person.
• Respect the instructions displayed on campus or provided by the librarians.

The following remote services are available:

• Ask a librarian either through:
  • Chatting service
  • WhatsApp
  • Email: library@lau.edu.lb
• Document delivery service, whereby articles and book chapters that are not available through the online databases, may be requested and delivered to individual LAU email address.

We encourage everyone to explore and make use of the online resources and research guides that are available on the LAU Libraries’ website.

For any further assistance, please contact us at:

• E-mail: circulation@lau.edu.lb
• Riyad Nassar Library circulation desk, Ext. 1213
• Byblos Library circulation desk, Ext. 2280

Remote Education (Online)

In light of the latest health and security developments in Lebanon, LAU will deliver all courses fully online during the month of September 2020 including those courses designated as hybrid.  We will be assessing the situation regularly, and by the third week of each month we will make a decision regarding whether to continue all courses online or not for the subsequent month.

For more help on our supported tools, please check out this page.

Residence Halls (Dorms)

For enquiries, please contact the Residence Halls team. 

Travel Policies and Campus Restrictions

All business travel has been discontinued until further notice. Personal travel requires pre-clearance and approval with the relevant Dean or VP. 

LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital

The below are recommendations to limit exposure of patients, visitors and staff to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Limited Points of Entry to the Facility

Building A entrance access, laundry access from the street, parking exit access from the street, and the old ER gate (dialysis access) will be closed to pedestrians.

All pedestrians (patients, visitors, and staff, etc.) will only have access to the hospital premises through:

• The main entrance (Building B) from 6:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• The temporary ER access from 8:00 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.

N.B. Visitors will only be allowed to enter the hospital premises during visiting hours. Staff are requested to avoid receiving visitors to their offices, unless necessary.

All LAU Medical Center-RH staff will have to present their LAU Medical Center-RH identification card in order to access the facility.

Cafeteria

The cafeteria will be closed for visitors until further notice with limited access for staff.

For further inquiries, please feel free to contact any member of the Infectious Diseases Team (Dr. Jacques Mokhbat, Dr. Rola Husni Samaha and Dr. Anna Farra) through the Hospital’s operator.

Managed Access and Movement within the Facility: 

• All visitors will be actively screened for temperature reading and symptoms of acute respiratory illness before entering the facility.
• All visitors will be well briefed about coughing etiquette and directed to clean their hands at the hand hygiene station before they enter the facility.
  • Visual alerts (e.g., signs, posters) will be posted at the entrance and in strategic places (e.g., waiting areas, elevators, cafeteria, main entrance) advising visitors about proper hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene.
  • Two access/triage check points will be established:
    • At the main entrance Building B.
    • At the entrance between Buildings C and B (next to the ATM machines).
  • Visitors will be tracked on a log sheet and advised to limit their visits: Only one visitor at a time and for no more than 30 minutes.
  • Visitors with symptoms will not be allowed to enter the facility. They will be directed to the ER, or requested to leave the hospital premises.
• Visiting hours:
  • For Regular Floors: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • For Critical Care Areas: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Visitors will be instructed to visit the patient room only. They should not be allowed to access other locations in the facility.

ER Preparedness

• Two separate isolated rooms with negative pressure are ready for use, located outside the temporary ER unit to screen and isolate suspected COVID-19 cases.
• These rooms will also be used for swab test screening (unless the patient is already admitted).

MSU 6B Preparedness

• The MSU 6 in building B (17 beds) will be ready to admit COVID-19 patients as needed.
• This floor has negative pressure which will permit our medical and nursing staff to take care of and treat COVID-19 patients according to international standards.
• All personal protective equipment (PPEs) for these critical patients and the staff will be made available according to the Infectious Diseases team recommendations.

Pre-Admission Unit (PAU) and Admissions Office:

• At the PAU: the staff will ask about travel history and any respiratory symptoms in order to decide with the medical team how to manage the case and consider postponing elective procedures/surgeries for 14 days.
• At the Admissions Office: on the day of the scheduled procedure/surgery, the admissions officers will ask about travel history and any respiratory symptoms. In case of symptomatic patients or history of recent travel, the treating physician will be contacted to decide whether to confirm admission or delay it for 14 days.

Outpatient Clinics Appointments:

• When booking an appointment, the secretaries will ask about travel history and any respiratory symptoms.
• If patient is symptomatic, he/she will be advised to wear a surgical mask upon arrival to the appointment, and the physician will be given notice to see him/her without any delays.
• All patients presenting for an appointment at the Outpatients Clinics are advised to show up on time (not more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment) in order to limit crowding of the waiting areas.
• Patients will be requested to present alone to the appointment and if necessary, bring no more than one companion.

For information and updates from our experts on COVID-19, please visit the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital COVID-19 webpage.