AUS RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19)

AUS continues to monitor developments related to COVID-19 very closely. This page contains the university’s latest guidance for students, faculty and staff, which are in line with the directives of the UAE Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Health and Prevention, as well as resources for reference. To access our campus, visitors must show an Al Hosn green pass.

Fall 2022 Update

August 25,2022

Update To Campus Access Requirements Related To COVID For Fall 2022

Dear AUS students,

As a result of a recent UAE government announcement concerning changes to COVID prevention protocols, this communication will outline new campus access requirements. Please read the communication in its entirety.

Effective 29 August 2022, anyone entering academic or administrative areas of the AUS campus over the age of 12 years are required to:

• Be fully vaccinated against COVID unless given a medical exemption;
• Have had a negative PCR test within 96 hours of first campus entry;
• Wear a mask at all times while being indoors on campus; and,
• Complete the survey at the link below.

AUS COVID-19 Declaration of Health Status Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7sWwkg4g9

Effective 5 September 2022, the following will be implemented due to changes in government compliance requirements:

• Campus Security will cease Al Hosn App Green Pass inspection at building entry points;
• Routine PCR testing every 14 days will no longer be required;
• All restricted access points in academic and administrative buildings will be returned to pre-COVID access; and,
• Classrooms, common areas, and event venues will be returned to pre-COVID activity and capacity.

AUS PCR Testing For Faculty, Staff, and Students

AUS will continue to offer free PCR testing for faculty, staff, and students at the AUS PCR Testing Center until further notice. The PCR Testing Center is located near the Plaza between AD 2 and the Student Center (https://maps.app.goo.gl/BcR9tTNBRHfNu4B87).

• Timing: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
  Days: Saturday – Thursday

For Appointments: https://auscovid19screening.youcanbook.me/.

Questions

For questions concerning this communication, please email [email protected].

Read more...

Spring 2022 Updates

JANUARY 20, 2022

Communication to Students | Spring 2022

Dear Students,

Following on from last week’s announcement, we are confirming that there will be a full return to face to face classes on Monday, January 31st and until that date all classes will remain online.

Please ensure you make the necessary arrangements to access campus from January 31^st onwards.

In order to access campus throughout the semester you will need to maintain green status on the Al Hosn app. In addition, before entering campus for the first time all students must:

• provide a negative PCR test result received within 96 hours before first entry
• complete the health declaration form and upload the PCR test result at the link https://pulse.aus.edu/form/healthdeclaration (AUS VPN Required)

For any questions related to health requirements please contact [email protected].

I wish you all a successful Spring semester ahead and we look forward to your return to campus on Monday January 31st.

Juan M. Sanchez, PhD
Provost and Chief Academic Officer

January 13, 2022

Communication to Students | Spring 2022

Dear AUS Students,

In response to the recent mandate from the Ministry of Education, AUS will be moving online for a period of two weeks starting on Monday January 17th. All classes including lectures, labs, and studios, will be held in an online format. IT will contact you in a separate communication to provide information on how to contact support in case you have trouble accessing your classes.

Depending on the Ministry of Education further guidance, you should prepare for a return on Monday January 31st to either a full face-to-face or to a hybrid class delivery mode. As the semester develops we will continue to follow the guidance of the relevant health and education authorities and alert you to any changes in the planned delivery mode.

I wish you all a successful beginning to the Spring 2022 semester.

Juan M. Sanchez, PhD
Provost and Chief Academic Officer

January 11, 2022

Communication to Students | Spring 2022

Dear AUS Students,

I hope this email finds you and your families well.

This is a reminder that all classes for the Spring 2022 semester will take place in face-to-face mode and that classes begin on Monday January 17.

In order to access campus throughout the semester you will need to ensure that you maintain green status on the Al Hosn app. In addition, before entering campus for the first time all students must:

• provide a negative PCR test result received within 96 hours before first entry
• complete the health declaration form and upload the PCR test result at the link https://pulse.aus.edu/form/healthdeclaration (AUS VPN Required)

If at any point during the semester you test positive for Covid or come into contact with someone who is Covid positive, you must report this immediately to the University Health Center (UHC) by email at [email protected]. The UHC will provide instructions for you to follow. If you are required to isolate, the UHC will so notify you.

If you are required to isolate at any stage during the semester, then every effort will be made to provide you with online access to your courses either in a synchronous or asynchronous fashion for the duration of your isolation period.

If you have questions related to health requirements, please contact [email protected].

If you have questions related to face-to-face attendance of classes, then please contact your head of department..

We continue to take guidance from the relevant health and government authorities, and we will inform you of any changes to course delivery mode throughout the semester, should they be mandated.

I wish you all a safe and successful Spring 2022 semester.

Juan M. Sanchez, PhD
Provost and Chief Academic Officer

January 05, 2022

Message to Residential Students | Residential Halls for Spring 2022

As you may be aware, the UAE Ministry of Education recently issued a directive recommending educational institutions to shift to online operations from January 3 to 16 in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation.

At this point AUS is planning to resume all classes face-to-face at the start of the Spring 2022 semester as communicated to all students in the Chancellor's email dated October 27, 2021, which can be found here: https://www.aus.edu/updates#S2022

If the Ministry of Education announces any changes to how classes are to be delivered this semester, the university will update the community through email and at this website: https://www.aus.edu/updates.

We look forward to welcoming you to the residential hall community beginning January 6, 2022. Please do not hesitate to contact Student Residential Life at [email protected] if you have any questions.

I wish you all the best for the new year and for the semester ahead.

October 27, 2021

Message from the Chancellor | Update on the Spring 2022 Semester

Dear AUS Community,

I am happy to inform you that the UAE Ministry of Education has announced the return of face-to-face learning at all UAE universities from the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester. Classes at AUS for the Spring 2022 semester will begin on January 16, 2022.

We expect that some health protocols will remain in place when full face-to-face learning resumes. We anticipate this to include campus entry being dependent on proving vaccination via the Al Hosn app, and mask wearing to be required. All protocols required of universities for the Spring 2022 semester will be communicated to the AUS community once available from the ministry.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank the AUS community for its cooperation and support over the course of the pandemic. We acknowledge that for students, faculty and staff the conditions created by the pandemic required a significant shift in the way teaching, learning and working took place. I would like to specifically commend the way in which faculty and students were able to swiftly transition to online and hybrid learning.

We very much look forward to this full return to campus life in the spring and hope that your understanding and willingness to adapt continues as we enter this new phase.

Dr. Susan Mumm
Chancellor

Precautions

• Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• When sneezing or coughing, be sure to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands).
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Seeking Medical Treatment

Should you feel unwell with fever, cough or have difficulty breathing, or believe you may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, visit the University Health Clinic located in the basement of the Language Building. It can easily be accessed by taking the stairs between the Language Building and the College of Architecture, Art and Design. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.

In the case of treatment required after opening hours and on public holidays, please call the 24-hour Medical Hotline at +971 50 635 7651 or text 4911, or call the University Health Clinic at +9716 515 2100 and press option 1.

Resources

• AUS COVID-19 Awareness Training Presentation
• UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Twajudi Resident (services for UAE residents currently abroad)
  Hotline: +971 2 496 5228 or +971 9 208 3344
• 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) - The Official Portal of the UAE Government
• Alhosn the official COVID-19 results and contact tracing app for the UAE
• United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health and Prevention
• World Health Organization
• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

COVID-19 Research: To learn how AUS faculty are focusing their research to examine COVID-19 related outcomes, please click here.