FBiH Crisis Staff and new orders: Online classes at faculties wherever possible

(Patria) - The Crisis Staff of the Federal Ministry of Health has extended the Orders and Recommendations previously adopted in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic for another 14 days. A new item concerning higher education has been added.

"Classes at faculties in the new academic year 2020/2021 are conducted with strict and continuous adherence to hygienic and epidemiological measures for the prevention of COVID-19. The start of classes at faculties in the new academic year 2020/2021 begins in accordance with the law and based on the assessment of the epidemiological situation by the competent public health institute of the canton/county," the order states, which also defines that "all forms of teaching at faculties, as well as other business activities (consultations with students, exams, teaching council meetings, etc.), should be conducted remotely wherever possible by applying information and communication technology (online teaching, via conference calls, email, Skype, etc.)."

Gatherings of staff and students are only permitted where necessary for conducting classes and assessment (e.g., conducting necessary practical classes), in smaller groups and in compliance with hygienic and epidemiological measures for the prevention of COVID-19 - the order states, which "applies the provision from points 4 and 5 of chapter VII of this order to faculties when conducting classes in the new academic year 2020/2021."

It is prescribed that in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, each educational institution in the canton/county must have a crisis preparedness and response plan for the occurrence of COVID-19 and an appointed operational team for monitoring the implementation of the crisis plan.

Canton administrations for inspection affairs, as well as competent inspectors in cities and municipalities, are obliged to order all educational institutions in the canton, in whose premises and during the educational process transmission of COVID-19 infectious disease, as well as other infectious diseases, can occur, to establish and conduct regular controls of hygienic and health-technical conditions in the facility and work process, implementation of self-control plans made in accordance with the principles of risk analysis and critical control points, and according to the recommendations of the competent public health institute of the canton.

This includes continuous enhanced inspection supervision.

The previous measure of mandatory wearing of protective masks indoors while maintaining a distance of at least two meters, as well as outdoors if a physical distance of two meters between persons cannot be maintained outdoors, has been extended for another 14 days. Cantons are allowed to introduce more restrictive measures if necessary, and in accordance with the epidemiological situation.