IN CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING:

Law No. 241 of 7.8.1990, and subsequent modifications and integrations thereto;

Legislative Decree No. 165 of 30.3.2001, and subsequent modifications and integrations thereto;

the prevailing National Collective Working Contracts for the Teaching and Research Sector;  (Contratti Collettivi di Lavoro del Comparto Istruzione e Ricerca vigenti);

Law No. 240 of 30 December 2010 “Regulations regarding the organization of the Universities, academic personnel and recruitment, and governmental interventions aimed at  incentivising the quality and efficiency of the university system”;

the Statute of the Scuola Normale Superiore (hereinafter the “Scuola”), issued with Director's Decree (D.D.) No. 202 of 7 May 2012, thereafter modified several times, concluding with D.D. No. 580 of 31 October 2019, published in G.U.R.I.-S.G., No. 273 of 21 November 2019, and, in particular, articles 17 and 25;

the Prime Minister's Decree of 25.02.2020, “Further implemental instructions added to Legislative Decree No. 6 of 23 February 2020, concerning urgent measures for the containment and managing of the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency”;

Legislative Decree No. 6 of 23 February 2020, containing “Urgent measures for the containment and managing of the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency”;

the Prime Minister's Decree of 01.03.2020 consisting of further measures for the containment and managing of the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency;

the Prime Minister's Decree of 8.3.2020, published on the same date in Gazzetta Ufficiale (G.U.) No. 59 consisting of “Measures for combating and containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the Italian territory;

the Prime Minister's Decree of 9.3.2020 published in GU No. 62 on the same date, consisting of “Further implemental measures added to Legislative Decree No. 6 of 23.2.2020 (…) applicable throughout the Italian territory”;

the Prime Minister's Decree of 11.3.2020 consisting of “Urgent measures for the containment of the contagion throughout the Italian  territory”;

Directive No. 2 of the Minister for Public Administration;

the various ordinances issued by the President of the Region of Tuscany;

the annotation  by the Minister for Universities and Research of 26.02.2020 consisting of operational indications regarding the application of the Prime Minister's Decree of 25 February 2020 in the Universities, and the subsequent  annotation  of 11.03.2020 exhorting “all Universities that provide student residences, in full respect for their autonomy, … to take every care to implement the measures indicated in the two Prime Minister's Decrees in question”, i.e. those of 08.03.20 and 09.03.20;

the letter by the President of the CRUI (the Association of Italian University Rectors) reminding all Rectors that “in full respect for the autonomy of each University to make its own decisions, the Prime Minister's Decree of 11 March exhorts us to guarantee the right to  study and at the same time to reduce mobility in order to contain the spread of  contagion; this involves a series of indications, reported here below in brief:

• to guarantee distance teaching, examinations and the conferring of degrees without interrupting the regular pattern of the ongoing semester; - to keep services operating by making use, as far as possible, of flexible working hours and working from home  ; - to define the essential and non-deferrable services pertaining for example to distance teaching, support for students with disabilities, cleaning and disinfection, safety and other services linked to the specific needs of the individual Universities; - in full respect for the health measures provided by the relevant authorities, to allow access to those laboratories involved in research or tests for the health service aimed at tackling the ongoing crisis, for safety reasons, or for support to animals or plants. In addition, exceptional or occasional access to the laboratories is admissible for research that cannot be postponed or for the completion of the procedures of theses”.

Decree No. 129 of the Director of the Scuola of 2 March 2020 suspending teaching visits to and    from the Scuola and public events such as conferences or training courses for outsiders   until 15 March 2020;

DSG No. 44 of 5 March 2020, No. 48 of 10 March 2020 and No. 50 of 13 March 2020, with which, as a measure for combatting and containing the spread of the COVID 19 virus it was deemed opportune to re-organise the activities and services in the light of the exceptionally adverse circumstances, with emphasis on flexible working hours in accordance with the various instructions issued by the government;

           the fact that, in order to tackle the emergency and given the evident speed of the development of the situation over time, the Scuola has opted for a flexible structure, as witness the recent swift succession of changing regulations introducing new indications on the basis of the rapid evolution of the situation at a national level;

AND CONSIDERING THAT

          

         the operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency was promptly formed and co-ordinated by the Director and is composed of: the General Secretary, Dr. Aldo Tommasin; the Manager of the Teaching, Research and Acquisition Area (Area Didattica, Ricerca e Acquisti), Dr. Daniele Altamore; the Operations Manager of the  NEST Laboratory and member of the Prevention and Protection Service, Dr. Pasqualantonio Pingue; Ing. Sara Salomoni,  member of the Prevention and Protection Service; Ing. Larissa Zoni, in charge of the Organisation and Evaluation Service and of the Digital Strategies Area; Dr. Andrea Pantani of the Communication and External Relations Service, supported by Ing. Eugenio Lucchesini, in charge of the  Scuola's Prevention and Protection Service, and by Dr. Francesca Messa, Medical Officer of the Scuola, who can be contacted by telephone or by the e-mail address emergenza.coronavirus@sns.it, which has been shared fully throughout the Scuola;

the operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency has enabled the flexible management of the issues regarding the community of the Scuola in general, but also that of individual cases that have arisen spontaneously ;

the above mentioned operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency has worked out a “Procedure for the management of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the collegial structures of the Scuola”;

the above mentioned flexibility has meant that the various members of the Scuola have been notified of the indications mainly by e-mail by the Director, the General Secretary and the task force and, for the organisation of flexible working hours for the technicians and administrative staff, by special Decrees issued by the General Secretary;

this extensive procedure has ensured that all members of the Scuola have been contacted, partly owing to the fact that almost all the messages have been translated into English;

the multiple and prompt organisational and protection measures already in place or approved by the Director of the Scuola during the present health emergency, partly on the basis of the operational indications of the chief of the Prevention and Protection Service and of the Medical Officer of the Scuola, have been rendered efficacious thanks to their  timely  communication to the entire community of the Scuola or to parts of it (also available on https://normalenews.sns.it/nuovo-coronavirus-informazioni-per-la-comunita-sns  and on https://normalenews.sns.it/new-coronavirus-information-for-the-sns-community);

 in the arrangement of the organisational measures and in the management of the ensuing interventions, priority has been given above all to the safeguarding of the health of all members of the community of the Scuola, with particular attention to students, including visiting students, and, among these, those resident in the colleges of the Scuola;

the Scuola is committed, compatibly with the present emergency, to the conservation of the teaching and research activities and of those of administration and management, in keeping with the institutional mission and at the same time in conformity with the specific ministerial indications issued in the preceding weeks;

there is a need to guarantee, during the present health emergency, timely and consistent  interventions, the efficacious and efficient management of the institutional activities and  services and the indispensable and full communication of the above to all members of the Scuola;

at the start of the emergency, an operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency was promptly formed on 20 February 2020 for the definition and arrangement of the organisational measures and for the management of the ensuing interventions. (see Art. 6 below);

the above mentioned actions and interventions have been put into place in conformity with the  competences and functions assigned by the Statute to the Director and to the General Secretary and in accordance with the provisions ensuing from the present national health emergency and from the consequent measures adopted by the public authorities and in primis by the Government;

the intention is to adopt the interventions referred to in the attached documents under the letters “A”, “B” and “C” pertaining to the decree herein, of which they constitute an integral part.

THE DIRECTOR 

HEREBY DECREES THE FOLLOWING:

Art. 1

The measures and provisions are adopted that are analytically indicated in the attached document under the letter “A” of the decree herein, forming an integral part of it.

Art. 2

Absolute and total observance is required of the health and hygiene measures approved, most recently with the Prime Minister's Decree of 9 March 2020, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale-SG No. 62 of 9 March 2020, and indicated in the attached document under the letter “B” of the decree herein, forming an integral part of it.

Failure to observe the said measures within the confines of the Scuola is subject  to disciplinary sanctions.

Art. 3

The procedure for the management of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Colleges of the Scuola is to be adopted as described in the attached document under the letter “C” of the decree herein, forming an integral part of it.

Art. 4

The measures and the procedure as indicated in the  attached documents under the letters “A”, “B” and “C” may be modified or integrated at any time by the Director, on the basis of the evolution of the current health emergency, with further regulations, in view of the necessity to guarantee promptness and consistency and to ensure the efficacious management of the institutional activities and services of the Scuola.

Art. 5

The measures indicated in the documents attached under the letters “A”, “B” and “C”, and any future updates, continue to circulate to all members of the Scuola in all appropriate forms, including e-mail messages and publication on the institutional web site of the Scuola.

Art. 6

The aforementioned operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency is composed of the following:

• Luigi Ambrosio, Director;
• Aldo Tommasin, General Secretary;
• Daniele Altamore, Manager;
• Andrea Pantani, Communication and External Relations Service;
• Pasqualantonio Pingue, the Operations Manager of the  NEST Laboratory and member of  the Prevention and Protection Service of the Scuola;
• Sara Salomoni, Prevention and Protection Service ;
• Larissa Zoni, in charge of the Organisation and Evaluation Service and of the Digital Strategies Area.

Besides working out the indications and procedures contained in the documents attached under the letters “A”, “B” and “C”, the operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency, co-ordinated by the Director, draws up the organisational measures and manages the ensuing interventions aimed at containing the COVID-19 emergency, formulating appropriate solutions for individual cases.

The operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency operates with actions and instruments that guarantee maximum flexibility and operability, in consideration of the  rapid evolution of the overall national state of emergency and of the spread of the epidemic, in health as well as regulatory terms, and is the main reference point for all members of the  academic community for any problem whatsoever connected to the management of the COVID-19 emergency.

All communications by the operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency issued from the e-mail address emergenza.coronavirus@sns.it are also in English, and are sent via e-mail to the institutional mailing lists or to individual enquirers and are in any case available on the web site of the Scuola at the page https://normalenews.sns.it/nuovo-coronavirus-informazioni-per-la-comunita-sns, for the Italian version, and at the page https://normalenews.sns.it/new-coronavirus-information-for-the-sns-community for the English version.

The operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency makes use, on the basis of necessity and of their specific competences, of the following personnel involved in the organisation and management of the measures deemed indispensable and  urgent:

• with reference to the students present at the Capitini residence of  Florence, Federica Codegone, in charge of the Events and Management of the Polo Service;
• with reference to  the students present at the colleges of Pisa, Michele Padricelli, in charge of the College Catering and Hospitality Service;
• with reference to the logistics activities and the essential services of cleaning, disinfection and access to the Scuola, Graziella Malloggi, of the Maintenance and Management of the Heritage Service;
• with reference to the teaching and research activities and of mobility to and from the  Scuola, Filippo Paoli, chief of the Teaching and Student Service, and Rossella Mondani, in charge of the Teaching activities and support to the research of the Polo, Aldo Rizzo, in charge of the Research and Technological Transfer Service, and Elisabetta Terzuoli, chief of the Internationalisation Service;
• with reference to the Scuola's Prevention and Protection Service, Ing. Eugenio Lucchesini (chief)  and Dr. Francesca Messa (Medical Officer). 

Art. 7

The decree herein comes into force with immediate effect and is valid until 3 April 2020 inclusive, and may be extended with an analogous measure should the national regulations currently in force be prolonged in time.

The decree herein is published on the on line bulletin board and on the institutional web site. It will undergo maximum diffusion.

The Director

   Prof. Luigi Ambrosio (*)                             

 

(*) Decree digitally signed  in accordance with the so-called   Code of the digital Administration and inherent regulations.

 

Allegato “A”

Scuola Normale Superiore

PROVISIONS ADOPTED FOR THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY

ORGANIZATIONAL MEASURES

A) TEACHING ACTIVITY

1. All face-to-face curricular and non-curricular teaching activities, including language courses, seminars and other meetings with outsiders, are suspended, regardless of the number of students attending the activities.

2. Only distance teaching activities can continue.

3. Office hours, admission exams to the PhD courses, vivas of PhD theses and final exams are carried out online only.

4. In order to avoid the possible spread of COVID-19, students must not meet in groups to attend distance teaching lectures.

5. The lecturers are committed  to following the students online to avoid slowdowns in their study careers.

6. Students with disabilities can arrange personalized  teaching methods by contacting the Teaching and Students Office.

B) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES - LABORATORIES

1. Research activities continue to the extent that is compatible with the current health emergency situation and in absolute compliance with the health provisions in force.

2. Research activities at the labs continues only in compliance with the provisions defined by the managers of the laboratories themselves and in any case exceptionally for research that cannot be postponed. Access to the laboratories is allowed only and exclusively to personnel authorized by the managers of the laboratories themselves. Access to the laboratories is however barred to all those who are experiencing symptoms related to a respiratory infection and fever (greater than 37.5 ° C) and to people who have been in contact with the latter.

3. Regarding missions, see point N).

C) CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

1. Educational visits to and from the Scuola are suspended.

2. Public events (conferences, training courses for outsiders etc.) already scheduled at the Scuola are suspended.

3. Where possible, some training courses for outsiders can be carried out via remote connection.

D) LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE

1. The Library and the Archive Centre are closed.

2. The loan service is suspended. Expiring loans are currently extended until 9 April 2020.

E) COLLEGES

1. The Colleges of the Scuola can be used exclusively by students who are not in a position to return immediately to their homes.

2. Students who do not belong to a specific College are not admitted to the latter, even if they are students of the Scuola.

3. Students who are not currently residing in the Colleges cannot return until the emergency period has ended.

F) CANTEEN

1. The canteen distribution lines are closed.

2. Only takeaway meals are provided to students who are still residing in Pisa.

3. Meals are delivered exclusively to students in quarantine at the Colleges.

G) MEDICAL COUNSELLING FOR STUDENTS

1. In compliance with the procedures established by the health authorities in relation to the management of the ongoing health emergency (at https://normalenews.sns.it/nuovo-coronavirus-informazioni-per-la-comunita-sns and at https://normalenews.sns.it/new-coronavirus-information-for-the-sns-community all communications and useful numbers are available), students who are still in Pisa can contact, by phone or e-mail, a doctor specifically appointed by the Scuola, to request health-related information. In order to manage the latter in a coordinated manner, an electronic request form has been prepared for students.

H) PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING

1. The psychological counselling service for students is suspended.

2. The psychological counselling service for students can continue exclusively through web channels to the extent that this is deemed possible by the professionals appointed by the Scuola.

I) MOBILITY AND PLACEMENTS IN ITALY AND ABROAD

1. All authorizations for mobility programmes and placements, to be carried out in Italy or abroad, already authorised by the Scuola which have not yet started, including the mobility programmes defined within the Erasmus + programmes and any other international mobility programmes, are suspended.

2. Applications already submitted and not yet authorized will be examined as soon as it is possible, to forecast the end of the emergency period.

3. All ongoing placements are suspended, including those taking place at external institutions/companies, except for individual cases to be agreed upon with the Teaching and Student Service.

4.  When the mobility programme has ended, students  must return directly to their own homes (they cannot , therefore, return to the Scuola), notwithstanding the provisions of the guidelines of the Scuola regarding reimbursement of travel expenses. Pisa students must notify the Teaching and Students Service or the Internationalization Service, whereas Florence students must notify the Teaching Activities and Research Support Service.

L) AUTHORITIES AND COMMITTEES

1. Authority meetings (including those envisaged in the Statute of the Scuola), committee meetings (including exam committees) and meetings of working groups can take place only if remote participation is ensured.

M) USE OF COMMON AREAS

1. Students, visiting students and similar cannot access lecture rooms, offices and common areas with the following exceptions:

• the common areas of the Colleges can only be accessed by students who are residing there, taking care to maintain an adequate interpersonal distance;

• the research laboratories can be accessed only for experimental activities in progress, in compliance with the provisions defined by the individual laboratories

2. Lecturers, researchers and fellows are strongly advised to continue their work from home, as far as possible, with the sole exception of experimental activities to be carried out in research laboratories, in compliance with the provisions defined by the individual laboratories.

3. The lecture rooms are available to lecturers for distance teaching lectures should they not have the possibility of connecting to the web from their home.

N) MISSIONS

1. All scheduled and/or authorized missions of academic and scientific staff in Italy and/or abroad are suspended.

2. The Deans, the scientific managers of the research projects and the structure managers of the Scuola are requested to evaluate alternative solutions to those that involve travel (by way of example: exams, committees and other meetings), possibly resorting to telematic tools.

3. For missions related to research projects, any additional costs due to well-proven causes of force majeure, must be deducted from the research funds themselves, if allowed by the relevant management regulations.

4. It is the duty of the interested party to request reimbursement of travel tickets from the relative carriers, as communicated by ENAC for air travel (https://www.enac.gov.it/news/coronavirus-covid-19-informazioni-ai-passeggeri) and by Trenitalia (https://www.trenitalia.com/it/informazioni/rimborso-per-rinuncia-al-viaggio-febbraio-2020.html) and by Italo Treno (https://italoinviaggio.italotreno.it/it/italo-informa/misure-iniziative-coronavirus-marzo) for rail travel.

O) CALLS

1. All call related procedures are suspended, with the exception of cases in which the assessment of candidates is carried out exclusively on a curricular basis or telematically.

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Allegato “B”

 

                                Scuola Normale Superiore

MEASURES ADOPTED FOR THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY

HEALTH AND HYGIENE MEASURES

a) Wash your hands often. Make hydroalcoholic solutions for hand washing available in all public places, including gyms, supermarkets, pharmacies and other meeting places.

b) Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.

c) Avoid hugs and handshakes.

d) Maintain an interpersonal distance of at least one meter.

 

e) Respiratory hygiene (sneeze and/or cough in a handkerchief avoiding contact between hands and respiratory secretions).

f) Avoid promiscuous use of bottles and glasses, especially during sports.

g) Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands.

h) Cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze or cough.

i) Do not take antiviral drugs and antibiotics unless prescribed by your doctor.

j) Clean surfaces with chlorine or alcohol based disinfectants.

k) Use a mask only if you suspect you are sick or if you are assisting sick people.

*******

We also remind you that:

• it is strongly recommended that people with symptoms related to a  respiratory infection and fever (greater than 37.5 ° C), as well as people who have been in contact with the latter, stay at home, limit social contacts as much as possible, and contact their doctor;

• people who are in quarantine or who have tested positive for the virus are strictly prohibited from leaving their home.

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Web sites of reference:

• https://normalenews.sns.it/nuovo-coronavirus-informazioni-per-la-comunita-sns;
• http://www.governo.it/it/articolo/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti-sulle-misure-adottate-dal-governo/14278;
• http://www.salute.gov.it/nuovocoronavirus;
• https://www.regione.toscana.it/-/coronavirus.

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Allegato “C”

Scuola Normale Superiore

MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE OF SUSPECTED OR CERTIFIED CASES OF COVID-19 IN COLLEGES

A)

If the student has a fever, with or without a cough or a sore throat, he must isolate himself in his room and promptly communicate his state of health to the General Practitioner of reference and send a message to: emergency.coronavirus@sns.it stating his state of isolation as well as his telephone contact.

The student will be contacted promptly and given information regarding delivery of meals and room cleaning.

The student who (as instructed by his doctor) must remain in isolation in his room, will receive a mask and disposable gloves as well as room delivery of meals according to procedures.

Should his health conditions worsen at any moment in time the student  or the porter of the College must dial 118 immediately.

B)

Management of quarantined subjects and of suspected/ascertained paucisymptomatic   cases of COVID-19 at the Scuola

In the case of a quarantined subject, possibly eligible for a swab or tested positive with health conditions that do not require transfer to the hospital, the Scuola can take charge of the isolation measures if the Health Authority deems it appropriate.

Since all the rooms of the Colleges of the Scuola are single and equipped with a bathroom, the person involved remains isolated in the room.

Disposable gloves, mask and food are provided.

In the event of a deterioration in his state of health, the subject (or the College porter) is invited to immediately dial 118.

The Scuola’s operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency (emergenza.coronavirus@sns.it) will in any case provide for periodic remote monitoring of the student's health conditions.

C) Delivery of masks, gloves and meals

Masks and disposable gloves must be delivered immediately following the email or phone call referred to in points A) and B) above.

The Scuola’s operational group for the management of the coronavirus emergency (emergenza.coronavirus@sns.it)) must contact  the college porters in which the subject resides and  state the room  where the mask and disposable gloves must be delivered.

The mask and disposable gloves will be delivered in the original packaging on the ground in front of the room door in a suitable container (e.g. paper or plastic bag). The subject is instructed to retrieve and wear them according to regulations, after having aired the room and washed his hands

Food is served without a tray (plastic bag only) with disposable cutlery and dishes.

The meal is delivered on a special stainless steel trolley and left in front of the door.

The subject is instructed to retrieve it after having aired the room, washed his hands and put on the mask and disposable gloves.

The subject is invited to put all the remains of the meal in the original bag that will be collected and disposed of according to the regulations established by the ISS guidelines https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/img/info/Poster -RIFIUTI.pdf.

D)

In the event of an ascertained case of infection at the College, the students and staff of the Scuola Normale Superiore are available for epidemiological investigation: the Prevention Department of the local health authority of reference will provide all necessary instructions.

 

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