Crucial practicals can take place on campus under strict adherence of the safety measures. Groups must consist of no more than max. 50 students.

The following safety measures apply:

1. Study Programmes in Health Science:

• an occupancy rate of max. one-on-one is allowed provided that surgical mouth caps are worn at all times. These mouth caps will be supplied by Ghent University.
• Mouth caps are changed correctly at the start of each practical and according to the safety measures (cf. Guidelines for a Safe Return to Work – procedure ‘Applying, Wearing and Removing a Mouth Cap’ and the document on ‘Mouth Caps and Face Shields in the Context of Covid-19’)
• depending on the particular situation, any additional personal protection equipment (PPE) will be supplied.

2. For all other study programmes the number of on-campus contact hours will be limited by focusing on essential competencies in combination with interactive online teaching. The number, frequency and duration of practicals must be limited wherever possible.

• During practicals observance of the distance rules (1.5 metres) among the attendees and wearing a surgical mouth cap is mandatory. If students remain at one and the same work place throughout the practical, this equals 4m² per person. If students need to move about frequently throughout the practical, providing 10m² per person is necessary. Mouth caps will be supplied by Ghent University.
• Mouth caps are changed correctly at the start of each practical and according to the safety measures (cf. Guidelines for a Safe Return to Work – procedure ‘Applying, Wearing and Removing a Mouth Cap’ and the document on ‘Mouth Caps and Face Shields in the Context of Covid-19’)
• Observing the distance rules and providing sufficient m² per person is possible by either using larger classrooms (newly available because of distance teaching) or by dividing student groups. 

• Mouth caps are no alternative for physical distancing. 

• High-risk contacts must be prevented to the utmost (i.e. cumulative contact with 1 or more person(s) during more than 15 minutes at a distance less than 1.5 metres). Read Sciensano’s definition of high-risk contacts here: https://covid-19.sciensano.be/sites/default/files/Covid19/COVID-19_procedure_contact_NL.pdf.

• Students are not allowed to physically work together with the same object, on the same experiment, test set-up, … . They are assigned (sub)tasks which they can perform by themselves. Only if sharing specific equipment is crucial to attaining essential competencies a rotation system can be set up. In such cases, the equipment is disinfected between users and after every use.

• Special focus is given to thorough ventilation before, during and after the practicals. (cf. Guidelines for a Safe Return to Work – Section 29.1 Practicals’).

• Practicals must not exceed a maximum duration of 4 hours (this equals the max. continuous wear time of a mouth cap).

Please contact veiligheid@UGent.be in case the above guidelines are unclear, or in case further support is needed.