Home>Suspension of student access to the Paris campus

18.09.2020

Suspension of student access to the Paris campus

 

Dear students,

 

A significant number of positive cases of Covid-19 have been identified on our Paris Campus. It is now an active site of circulation of the virus. In light of this information, and after discussions with the Rectorat de Paris and the regional health office (ARS) of Ile-de-France, I regret to inform you that all teaching and student activities, as well as our library and administrative services, will be suspended on the Paris Campus for a period of 14 days beginning Monday 21 September 2020. Off-campus sports and cultural activities will likewise be suspended. Accordingly, from this date until Sunday 4 October 2020, our Parisian premises will temporarily be closed to students.

In accordance with the recommendations of the health authorities, the goal of this suspension is to protect the health of all our communities and to prepare for the reopening of our Paris Campus in the best and safest conditions possible.

With this in mind, we ask you to please adhere to all current health guidelines (especially the need to self-isolate if you have tested positive for Covid-19) and to keep your social activities and physical contact to a strict minimum throughout this period.

In addition, staff at Sciences Po are currently working with the ARS of Ile-de-France to organise a PCR testing programme, which will be offered to students most exposed to infection. This programme, to be held on our campus, will take place over the course of the suspension period. It will allow us to make a full assessment of the health situation at Sciences Po, both on an institution-wide and an individual basis.

Despite this restriction of access to our premises, and thanks to the efforts of both administrative and teaching staff, we are able to guarantee that all teaching will continue as scheduled. It was for precisely such an eventuality that we devised our ‘dual campus’ model in spring of last year. The dual campus combines physical and digital teaching, in order to adapt in real time to the evolution of the pandemic and to vary accordingly the proportion of teaching taking place onsite and remotely. All scheduled teaching will therefore be conducted remotely for the duration of the suspension.

Throughout this period, staff at Sciences Po will be mobilised to organise the PCR testing programme, to assist any students encountering difficulties and to prepare for the reopening of our campus. We will be communicating the dates and details of the testing programme over the course of next week. You will also receive information shortly regarding conditions for the reopening of the Paris campus.

Sciences Po is a place of encounter and exchange. It is up to each and every one of us to work to preserve the richness of the university and its openness. As part of that, it is the duty of all to adhere strictly to any measures limiting the spread of the virus, and to ensure that others adhere to these too. This applies both inside and outside of our campuses.

Any preventative measures introduced on our premises will remain ineffective unless they are accompanied by an awareness of the risks and a strong and continuous personal commitment to reducing these. I know that I can count on the support of each and every one of you. Many thanks for your vigilance in these unprecedented circumstances.

 

Warmest regards to you all,

Frédéric Mion

BROCHURE