[Message from the President] In Response to the Declaration of State of Emergency

January 7, 2021

With only a few days left until the end of the fall quarter, a state of emergency has been declared. I am sure many of you are anxious about this situation. In response to the declaration, TUFS will take the following actions. At the same time, we would like to ask all students to take further measures against infection.

(1) Classes and examinations

・Classes until January 18th and final exams until January 25th will be held as scheduled. Some face-to-face classes may be shifted online, so please be aware of any announcements from your instructors. We will not take measures such as moving all classes online at once.

・As for the winter quarter, starting January 26th, all but one of the intensive classes will be held online. The zoom classrooms in the Research and Lecture Building will continue to be available.

(2) Extracurricular activities

・Extracurricular activities such as circles will be temporarily suspended while the emergency declaration is in effect. We ask for your cooperation in preventing the spread of infection during this period so that activities can be resumed in February. We also request that each organization reevaluate what measures can be taken after February.

(3) Use of university facilities

・The library and graduate students' seminar rooms will remain open during the hours previously announced.

・The university Co-op will continue to operate with shortened hours.

(4) Take action to prevent infection

・Wearing a mask, washing hands, and avoiding the 3C's are key principles.

・In particular, there are five situations where the risk of infection is said to increase, namely
   -Social gatherings that involve drinking.
   -Eating and drinking in large groups or for long periods of time.
   -Conversation without a mask.
   -Communal living in small spaces.
   -Changing living locations.
Please be careful to avoid the above (https://corona.go.jp/). The risks of eating and drinking in large groups or for long periods of time have been shown by numerous cases in which the virus rapidly spread. Here at TUFS, we define a "large group" as five or more people, but it goes without saying that this is a matter of expediency. In order to protect yourself and others around you, we ask that you refrain from eating and drinking with your friends at this time.

(5) In case of suspected infection, please let us know

As you may already know, if you have a fever, have had a PCR test, or have been notified by the public health center that you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, please contact the university.

https://sanda.tufs.ac.jp/emergency-contact/covid19/

Depending on the situation, your absence will be authorized. This is also necessary to prevent the spread of the virus within the university. Thank you for your cooperation.

(6) Lastly...

Following the spread of the infection in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas, we have received reports of five cases among our students since the end of the year until yesterday. We are relieved to hear that their conditions are not serious, but we wish them a speedy recovery.

In order to stop the spread of COVID-19, the cooperation of everyone is crucial. Let's work together so that the situation in the Tokyo metropolitan area will improve and we can get back to a normal campus life as soon as possible.

-

HAYASHI Kayoko
President, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

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