This document is the official translation of the document which appeared on AGU’s website on February 15, 2021 (in the name of President Sakamoto). Below is a paraphrase of it that was prepared before the official translation was available.
As a general rule, face-to-face classes will be held in 2021, as stated in the “2021 Class Implementation Policy” announced on the AGU website on February 15, 2021. Students will be allowed to take classes through alternative means (i.e., not face-to-face) if they can show evidence that…
* they are at special risk of COVID-19 infection.
* a member of their family who they are currently living with is at special risk of COVID-19 infection.
* they can’t travel to Japan from a country where they have been in a study exchange program.
* they can’t travel to Japan from their home country (in the case of foreign students enrolled as normal, rather than short-term, exchange students).
These are the health conditions that a student must show evidence of suffering from before they are allowed to study through alternative means:
- Chronic Respiratory Disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic liver disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Vascular disease
- Endocrine disease that causes obesity
- Digestive disease
- Neurological disorders
- Rheumatoid arthritis/ collagen disease
- Use of biopharmaceuticals
- Immunosuppressive state associated with transplantation, a disease, or treatment
- HIV infection
- Malignant tumor
- Pediatric chronic disease
- Psychiatric disorders (Includes: Being extremely anxious about the possibility of infection by attending classes, going to school, or engaging in campus life.
Also, students who are pregnant or living with someone who is pregnant (if it can be confirmed by official documents) will be eligible for application.
Continuing students must apply by April 2 and new students by April 15, by posting the application and supporting documents. The supporting documents must include official medical certificates. So, we may not know which of our students will be participating exclusively online until after Golden Week.
If applying for an exemption from F2F learning due to the risk posed to a family member, proof must be provided that the student is living together with that family member.
Whether the application has been approved or not will be posted on the student portal as soon as possible.
IE Teachers will not be involved in the determination of whether a student’s petition to be excused from F2F instruction should be granted.
