The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rise in Japan, and the whole country is now in a state of emergency. In Sendai, and on our campuses, we are also seeing a rise in infection cases.
We are therefore stepping up our efforts to protect our students and staff, and moving to
Level 4 of our Emergency Action Plan (BCP). The plan refers to our 5-tier Business Continuity Planning guidelines that allow the university to continue functioning, while prioritizing the safety of our people.
For students, Level 4 means that no one should come to campus unless there is an exceptional reason. Online classes will continue but all facilities on campus will be closed.
All laboratories will also be closed. Only research staff whose long-term experiments will be seriously affected, or those who need to terminate an on-going experiment or take care of important maintenance duties, will be allowed into the labs for a short time. Those research staff must take extra precautions.
Extracurricular activities remain strictly prohibited, and students are encouraged in the strongest terms possible, to stay at home and to avoid gatherings, travelling and other non-essential outings.
On the administrative side, more staff will be asked to work from home, and those whose job requires them to be in the office, will work in shifts. Staff and faculty members will continue to take meetings only via ICT like Google Meet.
As we approach Golden Week, it might be tempting to go back to your home town, or to take advantage of the good weather to travel or plan activities. Please refrain from doing any of that. Individual actions affect the entire community.
Once again, we are all in this together. Let us support each other by being socially responsible, so that we can hope to return to normal life sooner, rather than later.
Contact:
Tohoku University International PR SectionTel: +81-22-217-4816
Fax: +81-22-217-4818
Email: public_relations
grp.tohoku.ac.jp