COVID Guidelines and Protocols

COVID Guidelines and Protocols

by Mathew Johnson -
Number of replies: 0

I'm writing to you as the safety coordinator at Catalyst. In this role I'm accountable for aligning our internal policies with all current state regulations, ensuring the safety of our team and students, and finding solutions with your PL's for the continued delivery of your education. 

With rising infection rates we are already seeing some cases in Catalyst. As such I'm sure many of you have questions about the current policies and procedures. 

All documentation is available on the front page of Moodle. The Hygiene Protocol and the Infection Management documents outline the resources and procedures when there are active infections or close contacts within a group. State guidelines, recommendations, and legal frameworks can be found on the berlin.de website in english. 

The state of Berlin has moved towards more normalcy and placed the responsibility of infection management more and more on the individual. In the context of our classrooms, our facilities, and the projects of our students this means we remain vigilant and that we have tools at our disposal for managing the chain of infection. 

The past two years have taught us one thing. There is no replacement for in person teaching, and as such it remains our priority throughout the next year. In order to achieve it we: 
- operate within the current hygiene protocols set forth by the state, and react to new information accordingly.
- recognise and recommend FFP2 masks as effective and implement their use in infection control.
- maintain open booking and facility access
- make corona policies and a member of the team (Safety Coordinator) accessible for all team and student queries. 

There are also a few specific questions that I would like to address. 

Do I need to quarantine if I have a positive test? 
Yes. You must quarantine for at least 5 days. You can test out with a negative PCR test after day 5 if you haven't had symptoms for 48 hours. Quarantine ends automatically without a test on day 10. 

Do I need to quarantine if I've had contact with a positive case? 
No. It is recommended that you reduce your contact and test. Please see the Infection Management document for more details.

There was a positive case in our class, what do we do? 
We will work with your programme leads and tutors to determine the best course of action. In some cases it may be prudent to move classes online for a day or two while we monitor incubation times. In other situations we may ask you to wear FFP2 masks in order to ensure in person learning can continue. 

Can Catalyst require proof of vaccination or testing?
No. At this time the legal framework for such requests no longer exists. As such it is not possible for us to ask for this information, as it is deemed private. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have! 

Stay healthy!