COVID-19: progress update on Business Continuity Plan measures for campus

With the school holidays coming up, the BCP Committee would like to give a general overview of changes to the applicable measures on campus following the recent recommendations by French health authorities to reduce the circulation of the virus in light of the increased transmissibility of the variants.

1/ Changes to working arrangements on campus from Monday February 15

The recommendation from the French Ministry of Labor is that anyone who does not need to go into the workplace in person should continue to work from home every day.

This means that:

For all Institut Pasteur staff, we are continuing the policy of remote working every day for all those who are able to do so, with the possibility of coming onto campus one day a week, especially for those living in isolated conditions, in agreement with your line manager.
For scientific staff, we are authorizing a rotation system on a half-day basis so that more staff involved in wet-lab research activities can come onto campus, while ensuring that no more than 60% of staff are present at any one time. Practical details about the rotation system have been sent out to entity heads by the Department of Scientific Affairs.

2/ Other important recommendations to reduce the risk of infection on campus

Restaurants and meals:

- We would ask you not to gather together for meals in the cafeterias in buildings on campus and the coffee areas in laboratories. Gathering together in confined spaces without masks considerably increases the risk of infection.
- In the company restaurant, we would ask you to comply with the spacing between seats and tables. The rule is now to maintain a physical distance of 2 meters to reduce the risk of infection, since you have to take your mask off to eat.
- The restaurant can now be used by staff who bring their own meal with them.
- Microwaves are available in the company restaurant for anyone wishing to heat up a meal.

Strict compliance with hygiene and distancing measures:

- Surgical masks should now be worn on campus: category 2 fabric masks and homemade masks are no longer considered to be an effective protective measure because they have lower filtration efficacy.
- The usual hygiene measures must be strictly adhered to on campus: hand washing, disinfection and frequent airing of premises, especially confined spaces.

Meetings should continue to be held remotely via Teams. Special permission is required for any external visitors.

The BCP Committee would like to thank each and every one of you for your efforts at this time, as the crisis continues and we are all feeling an increasing sense of fatigue. Thanks to your vigilance and ongoing cooperation, the Institut Pasteur can continue to carry out its missions in the safest possible conditions.

The BCP Committee