Gratia Christian College Arrangements for the 2021/22 Academic Year under the COVID-19 Pandemic

The effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic has posed extraordinary challenges to our teaching and learning activities, not to mention our usual way of life. Although the development of COVID-19 has been curbed to a certain extent recently, it is not the right timing for us to be off guard. It is crucial that we do our part to reduce the chances of communicable infection and, hence, incubating new forms of virus variant. To stand by you, the College has implemented various precautionary measures on the campus. It is the goal of the College to resume normal teaching and learning and other campus activities this academic year. We cannot do this without you.

Arrangement for the coming academic year:

The targeted default mode of delivery for classes will be face-to-face on campus for the 2021-22 academic year.
All members of the College should therefore plan to be in Hong Kong well in time for Semester 1 (starting on 6 September 2021).
Some members may not be able to attend the classes due to compulsory quarantine requirements. Special arrangement for courses/sessions would be offered on a case-by-case basis.

Guiding principles:

To minimise the risk of compulsory shutdown.
To reduce risk of inter-transmission within the campus through classes and student activities.
Zero tolerance to cases of high-risk infection (HRI).
To maintain a good level of low-risk infection (LRI), such as people with regular negative COVID-19 test results or full vaccination, among all staff, students and regular visitors.

COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing requirement

The College requires all staff (administrative and academic), students and contractors working on campus to provide proof of LRI of COVID-19 before the starting of 2021-22 Semester 1. LRI of COVID-19 can be achieved by:

Vaccination OR negative COVID-19 test result, AND
High awareness of personal hygiene, AND
Social Distancing, AND
Hygienic campus.

A safe and healthy campus

First thing first,
- If you think you have symptoms, you must stay at home (e.g. if you or a member of your household develops a high temperature, a new continuous cough and / or a loss of taste or sense of smell).
- If you do feel unwell and you think you may have the symptoms of coronavirus, please seek medical advice at once and notify the Registry as soon as possible.
- If you have been in close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19, or if you are notified by CHP or College or your close contact, you will need to self-isolate. Please see this for details.
All staff, students and regular visitors to the campus must be either:
- Fully vaccinated, received 2 doses of vaccination, or
- Received 1 dose of vaccination and taking the second dose by 6 October 2021 the latest, or
- Providing a negative test result of COVID-19 test every 2 weeks. This is recommended for those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons.
Latest proof of the above conditions must be uploaded to the College Registry. The collected data will only be used for calculating the anonymous level of vaccination in a class.
Anyone who does not meet any of the above conditions will not be allowed to enter the campus nor participate in any student activities.^1,2,3
Social distancing within the classroom must be observed strictly. The maximum seating capacity of all classrooms is reduced to 25.
Sanitising tissues will be provided in all classrooms. Class participants should wipe their desks and hands if necessary.
Having lunch in classrooms is allowed provided that social distancing and personal hygiene are maintained strictly.

We are with you

For any member who experiences financial hardship in meeting the requirements mentioned above, the College is ready to provide assistance on a case-by-case basis.
You are strongly encouraged to make full use of the free vaccination or testing service provided by the HKSAR.
For employees and students who are new to Hong Kong, per our standard practice, the College will offer assistance to them as needed.
We understand that many countries and regions are still struggling under a surge of new COVID-19 infections. We will do our utmost to accommodate the needs of our students who may be unable to come to Hong Kong in the Fall.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the new academic year arrangements, please feel free to contact the staff in Registry (58044143 or registry@gratia.edu.hk) for assistance.

A college wide Q&A session on the new academic year arrangements has been held in the College Library on 18 August 2021 from 9:30am to 10:30am. It was available in mixed-mode. The venue capacity is 50 persons. You are welcome to join via Zoom. (the link has been disabled after the meeting)