WITH REUNIONS taking place in SEC Walk, first meetings in CTC, and Red Brick Road bustling with life, the Ateneo campus is vibrant with students and staff onsite.

To ensure the health and safety of the Loyola Schools (LS) community amid the ongoing pandemic, the administration has updated its COVID-19 policies to adjust with Alert Level 1 enforced in NCR. However, the student body has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of these protocols with a bigger population coming onsite. Through these policies, the administration aims for practicality and trust within the LS body. 

With the first semester in full swing, collaboration among LS members is needed to ensure the safety of the community. 

A tale of two students

Intersession of AY 2021–2022—the first time the University would proceed with onsite operations since the pandemic—served as the testing grounds for on-campus classes to assess the LS COVID-19 policies.

Nicole Nuguid (2 BS BIO) contracted COVID-19 moments later her classmates tested positive during Intersession. As she was on campus every weekday, she had classes in laboratories where, according to her, social distancing was more difficult to enforce given the limited space.

As soon as Nuguid experienced COVID-19 symptoms, she opted not to attend class and reported her case to the Loyola Schools Office of Health Services (OHS). Within the next hour, she received an email with a step-by-step procedure to schedule an appointment with the University physicians. Along with that, OHS also conducted contact tracing.

Danielle Suguitan (2 BS BIO), on the other hand, was one student who was exposed to another symptomatic student. Shortly after exposure, they received an email from the OHS on the necessary procedures to follow. While Suguitan was under monitoring for exposure, they were still permitted to attend onsite classes and were only asked to email back the OHS for updates.

Despite their onsite experiences, Nuguid and Suguitan have lauded the efforts of the administration in enforcing health protocols but lamented the lack of responsibility some students have when following safety guidelines. Now, the challenge of trusting the student body with upholding safety in the LS without the strict surveillance of the administration has yet to be overcomed as COVID-19 cases surge.

Improved guidelines

The LS administration is constantly updating the LS health policies and protocols in adherence to national guidelines, from the removal of daily health declaration forms to the RT-PCR testing requirement for unvaccinated individuals.

However, other protocols remain in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, isolation tents are still located in the University as holding areas for students and faculty who experience symptoms on campus.

After conducting contact tracing, the OHS does a risk assessment to determine if an individual is at low risk or high risk. OHS then notifies their contacts and gives instructions on quarantine and treatment procedures. They also inform professors to ensure that students with COVID-19 are excused from their classes and are prioritizing their recovery above all.

Given the Ateneo Blue Pass System’s significant role in contact tracing, such as the scanning of QR codes for campus and building entry, students like Nuguid worry about the new ID system set to replace it. However, University Physician Dr. Norman Marquez clarifies that the Blue Pass System would not be fully removed, only its campus entry protocol. Thus, it would still be used for other purposes such as health monitoring and telemedicine consultations.

He also shares that an enhanced ID system through Radio Frequency Identification—also known as RFID, which acts similar to a QR code—will soon replace it for campus entry and contact tracing come September 1, although no other information regarding this has been given as of writing.

With the shift to the new ID system, Marquez says, “We need to understand that we are at a different phase now of the pandemic. So, we will also need to adjust to what is practical, but at the same time, still maintain and address the health and safety concerns of the community.”

Planning ahead

Different contingency plans are in place to prepare for upticks in COVID-19 cases inside the campus and ensure the safety of the community. For Marquez, the most effective approach would be mitigation of COVID-19 transmission: intensifying contact tracing as well as providing guidance and interventions in the form of treatment protocols.

Marquez emphasizes that a campus-wide lockdown would not be automatically imposed if COVID-19 cases suddenly balloon on campus. Similarly, he adds that the University can opt to shift back to fully online classes if the majority of the LS population suddenly becomes symptomatic, whether confirmed or suspected. 

“We’ve gained so much, invested so much in the online learning system. That will not be put to waste, that will always be part now to make sure that there will be less disruptions,” Marquez says.

Examining the University’s health policies and protocols, Ateneo Professional Schools Office of Health Services Director Dr. Jhason Cabigon points out that the LS is very up-to-date with local, national, and even international guidelines. 

As a medical professional, however, Cabigon says that he prefers to have stricter protocols implemented in the LS to ensure the safety of the community. Additionally, he shares that another general challenge for the Ateneo is the constant and drastic changes in the local and national protocols the University needs to comply with.

Ateneo, anew

As LS students returned to face-to-face classes amid the threat of COVID-19, mixed feelings of excitement and worry proliferated. Cabigon reassures the students, “[The] safe resumption [of classes] is possible as long as everyone will adhere to our health and safety protocols—and this is evidence-based.” 

In line with this, Cabigon recommends having a safety officer—a teacher or a program coordinator—per class who will monitor the students’ health status every day, report it to the OHS, and disseminate health policy updates. He also believes that having safety officers could also ensure that no one is misrepresenting facts about their health status and improve the communication between the LS administration and the student body, especially with regards to health-related concerns.

Echoing Nuguid’s and Suguitan’s sentiments, Cabigon reminds everyone as well that there is a shared responsibility among the LS community members when it comes to COVID-19 prevention. He asserts that there is no one measure that could stop the pandemic and individual efforts are needed to protect oneself and their loved ones. 

In relation to this, he shares the Swiss Cheese Model of Protection in which each protective measure is represented by a slice that needs to be combined with another slice for increased protection against COVID-19. 

“Each slice, for example, would have this flaw. But if we will be putting one slice over the other, eventually, the holes will be covered. Diba your hand hygiene, your face mask, your distancing, your air ventilation, and eventually, your vaccine. With all these, it will greatly lessen your chance of getting the [virus],” Cabigon expounds.

With students setting foot on campus after two years, the Ateneo enters a new era marked by a stronger sense of collaboration to ensure a safe campus experience for everyone.

“We really have to work together. The university can provide the systems and structures, but ultimately, we will have to understand and take the initiative to be healthy and safe. […] It starts with ourselves, and we can encourage one another to follow the protocols,” Marquez says.