Coronavirus Preparedness: What Faculty and Staff Should Know and Do (3-6-20)

Dear APU Faculty and Staff,

Safeguarding your health and wellbeing is the university’s top priority. In light of the unfolding coronavirus situation, Azusa Pacific activated its Critical Incident Response Team and is enacting several measures around campus to reduce germ spread. anagement is in the process of installing both fixed and portable hand sanitizing dispensers in high use areas as well as wiping door handles and light switches in classrooms daily.

Please consider the following advice:

  • Obtain a large container of antiseptic hand wipes and wipe down surfaces in shared spaces at least daily.
  • Carry portable hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol content) to use when hand washing is not an option.
  • Consider not shaking hands.

If you reside in an area where increased transmission of coronavirus is occurring, take extra caution to practice good hygiene. The same would be true if you have a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, asthma, or a suppressed immune system.

If you become ill, please stay home and contact your physician and supervisor. Faculty members should encourage students to take precautions to stay healthy, including increased hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes, and to not attend class if ill. Watch these informative CDC videos on effective hand washing.

The leadership of APU is monitoring the situation closely and following the advice of the CDC and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. If cases of coronavirus are diagnosed in the community around us, additional steps may be taken to safeguard health and wellbeing, including the cancellation or postponement of public events, or moving classes to an online forum.

When the Department of Campus Safety receives a call for assistance in a health-related capacity, I have advised that staff wear protective gear, including a mask. Such use does not indicate infection, but rather is a precautionary measure to safeguard our community.

For more information about coronavirus, check the university’s website, which is updated frequently, and watch this WHO video. Our campus community’s health is important to us.

S. Todd Emerson, DO, ABFP, medical director, Azusa Pacific University