Dear Parents,
Last week we wrote to you with the exciting news of significant changes to Covid-19 safe management measures on campus, including additional mask-off activities for all students.
We write now with information regarding requirements for unvaccinated students to participate in mask-off activities. These requirements will come into effect from Monday, 18 April 2022.
This information is relevant for children who fall into one of the following categories:
- Currently not fully vaccinated, having had none or only some of the doses of an approved vaccine, or
- Currently regarded as vaccinated due to being Covid-19 recovered (past 180 days from their infection) but have not had the required number of vaccine doses to be considered fully vaccinated long term, or
- Fully Vaccinated status has lapsed due to not having had the booster dose within 180 days of the primary dose
If one of the above applies to your child(ren) please read the following information very carefully.
As stated in previous communication, the College does not differentiate between students on the basis of their vaccination status. However, we are subject to the prevailing government requirements and those of our external partners. We have therefore applied for special permission to include unvaccinated students in mask-off activities on our campuses. This permission has been granted, with the condition that unvaccinated students (as defined above) submit a weekly ART (valid for 7 days), confirming that they are Covid-19 negative.
We have discussed the simplest way to manage this requirement and have agreed on the process below for your child(ren). We hope you understand that our ability to continue to follow the more relaxed safe management measures is dependent on everyone following agreed protocols. The authorities expect our community to follow the guidelines, and can check at any time.
The steps you need to take are as follows:
- Conduct a self-supervised ART test at home on a Sunday night (beginning Sunday, 17 April)
- Upload the results to CIMs here
- CIMS submission must include a photo of the negative test
- You must check the declaration box in order to submit the weekly test
- School secretaries will approve the test each Monday morning before attendance is taken so that your child may participate in the mask-off activities for that week
If your child returns a positive result then you must follow government protocols for management of Covid-19.
Unfortunately, we have no influence on the requirements of third-party providers and partners therefore, fulfilling the requirements of a 7 day ART test does not necessarily guarantee mask-off participation in activities run by third-party providers.
To prepare for this change, please check your child(ren)’s vaccination declaration in CIMS and ensure it is up to date with the latest information. Please keep track of your child(ren)’s vaccination schedule and, if relevant, the requirement for a booster dose in order to maintain their ‘vaccinated’ status.
You will find some brief FAQs at this link that will address any immediate queries you may have.
We appreciate that this relaxation of measures adds complexity to already complex requirements. As with all protocol adjustments, it will take some time to adapt and refine processes. We ask for your patience as we manage this change. If you have any questions not answered by the FAQs below, please contact us at uwcsea@uwcsea.edu.sg and we will assist you.
Thank you for taking the time to read through all this important information. We hope that restrictions will continue to relax and when they do, we will make adjustments accordingly.
Thank you for your continued partnership and partnership.
Your sincerely,
Nick Alchin, Head of UWCSEA East
Elizabeth Bray, Head of UWCSEA Dover
