MCAST’s new COVID-19 protocol for the upcoming academic year highlights its plan for the reopening of its doors using a mixture of physical and online learning.
The protocol includes strict guidelines for a minimum of 1.5m of social distancing in every interaction, face masks being worn whenever students are indoors and the minimisation of the number of student clusters who will be present on campus.
The college also insists that students, staff as well as campus visitors should not approach the college if they feel unwell. Temperature checks upon entry are obligatory, the document states.
In a statement published on Friday, MCAST principal and CEO Joachim James Calleja said that the college is following “an approach that is based on ongoing consultation with the health authorities and the Malta Union of Teachers".
Given the hands-on nature of most of the courses offered by MCAST, the college must strike a balance to ensure that the college does not become a potential breeding ground for the epidemic, the protocol says.
Photo: Chris Sant Fournier"The ongoing consultation includes the fine-tuning of several important health and safety aspects of this protocol. The challenge now lies in its implementation, and this will be conducted in close collaboration with the Union,” Calleja said.
Both staff rooms and classes will be limited to a maximum of 15 per room, although the number is subject to revision if necessary. The document suggests that rosters will be used to facilitate rotation of staff and students, as required.
Priority for in-person learning is given to first-year students and those subscribed to courses ranging from MQF level 1 – level 4.
Emphasis is also made on controlled access to facilities such as libraries and the canteen, along with pleas to students and staff alike to follow the Health Ministry’s proposed mitigation measures.
In the event of a local outbreak, the principal is to be alerted immediately and health authorities are to advise on how to best proceed. Depending on the severity and spread of the outbreak, the contaminated unit is to be closed temporarily to control transmission.
“Rigorous cleaning procedures” are set to be implemented in the worst-case scenario, and the rearrangement of schedules and student attendance will be conducted accordingly. The civil protection department will then be tasked with the decontamination of the affected premises.
Mass gatherings on campus have been banned. Standard measures such as Perspex barriers between desks and recommendations on how to sanitise effectively are included in the guidelines.
The college promised to provide adequate cleaning supplies, particularly in workshops and other rooms in which students will use the same equipment.
Any external work placements off campus will be subject to regular monitoring visits from the school’s apprenticeship and work-based learning department to ensure health and safety guidelines are being respected.
As for students who may be worried about any vulnerable relatives they may be living with, the document states that the cases will be reviewed individually by students’ respective institute directors to assess options for remote learning.
The full document can be found on MCAST's website.