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Covid-19: Update on measures taken by the University of Montpellier

] - Published on in Environmental issues and social responsibility, Health, social & disability

TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Masks recommended for indoor areas

As of March 14, 2022, wearing a mask is no longer mandatory. However, given the upsurge in cases of COVID at the University, we feel it is important to strongly recommend its use indoors.

We would also like to remind you that barrier measures must be respected and premises aired as much as possible.

The epidemic is not over, and people infected with COVID, whatever their age, can experience fatigue that can have a lasting impact on all their activities, as well as sometimes severe symptoms. It is therefore important not to relax our vigilance.

Reminder of barrier gestures:

wash your hands regularly, say hello without shaking hands, avoid hugging, keep a distance of at least 1 metre whenever possible, cough or sneeze into your elbow or into a handkerchief, use a single-use handkerchief and throw it away, avoid touching your face.

Special rules apply in the BIU, SUAPS classes, cafeterias, etc.: ask for details.

SUSPECTED OR POSITIVE COVID?

If you have any COVID symptoms, call your GP or a doctor.

If you have been in contact with a COVID+ person or someone who needs to be tested: call your GP or a doctor to find out what to do.

If you have any questions about your course (attendance, etc.), please contact your Faculty, School or Institute.

For all medical questions, and in particular for students at risk of COVID, you can contact the preventive medicine department.

For all other questions: email.

41 ambassadors deployed on various campuses

Trained by the Service commun de médecine préventive et de promotion de la santé (SCMPPS), these 41 students are on hand at the various sites of the University of Montpellier to provide information and remind you of safety precautions.

In view of the exceptional circumstances, it's important to remember that the government's measures are designed to protect everyone's health. Encounters involving physical proximity should be limited.

One solution: vaccination

Vaccination against COVID provides both individual and collective protection. It reduces the risk of infection to those around you, and is currently the only way to protect against severe forms of the disease. The university is a place where we constantly interact with others, so it's important to achieve the highest possible vaccination coverage among students and staff alike.

Over the next few days, we'll be offering several opportunities to get vaccinated at three university sites.

The validated calendar is below. It is possible to come without an appointment.

If you're not sure, it's also possible just to get advice on vaccination, without necessarily having to be vaccinated. If you have a carte vitale, you'll need it.

We hope you'll make the most of this facility, which has been set up directly at our university, so that this academic year can be spent in the classroom.

1st dose
At the MDE Triolet on October 7, 11am-3.30pm, no appointment necessary
At the MDE Richter on October 14, 11am-3.30pm, no appointment necessary

1st and 2nd dose
Pharmacy site October 12, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., no appointment necessary
MDE Triolet October 18, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., no appointment necessary

You can also download the addresses of the various vaccination centers near the different campuses of the University of Montpellier and throughout Occitanie.

Information for staff and students

Regulatory acts
Information for students from November 2, 2020

Travel to UM sites

For practical training courses, access to university libraries, health services...

It is essential that you bring :

  • a travel certificate available on the Ministry of the Interior website or on the " Tous Anti-Covid" application. Tick the reason: "Travel between home and place of work or an educational or training establishment, business travel that cannot be postponed, travel for a competition or examination".
  • proof of identity,
  • provide proof that the trip in question falls within the scope of authorized cases.

Health

To help you cope with this confinement:

  • Your Preventive Medicine service remains open, and can book appointments for medical check-ups and/or specialist consultations (psychology, dietetics). To book an appointment, please contact your local branch, whose contact details can be found on www.umontpellier.fr/campus/sante-social-handicap. Consultations are preferably face-to-face, but telephone consultations are also possible. Our team takes all the necessary sanitary measures to ensure your safety.
  • The Centre de Soins Universitaire (CSU) is open by appointment only, at regular times (10am-2pm and 3pm-6.30pm), and provides all face-to-face consultations: medical, psychological and gynecological. For students who are already patients, teleconsultations are available. Contacts: 04.11.28.19.79 or by email.
  • A toll-free number is available 24/7 to answer your questions about COVID-19: 0.800.130.000
    For emergencies, call 15.

Disability

The Handiversité and Médecine de Prévention departments are available to answer any questions you may have about exam and/or study accommodations, access to digital course content, etc.

Financial difficulties

Whether you're a student on a scholarship or not, the UM and CROUS are maintaining their social aid schemes, including emergency assistance.

The student life service of the Campus Life Department works in liaison with the CROUS social service to help you.
To request emergency assistance, click here.

Digital access

The UM provides its students⸱e⸱s with Zoom Education and Microsoft Office 365 Education licenses free of charge.

Zoom Education lets you hold online meetings as part of your lessons or personal collaborative work.

Microsoft Office 365 Education provides access to Teams, Microsoft office suite tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint...) and the OneDrive file storage function. These tools can be used directly online (choose license A1) or downloaded (choose license A3).

To access these tools, log on to your ENT UM(ent.umontpellier.fr), Teaching tab: ZOOM and TEAMS/OFFICE 365 thumbnails.

Digital equipment :

If you don't have your own computer, please contact your UFR, School or Institute, which may have solutions in mind. PCs are also available in the BUs (by appointment). The Student Life Department is available to help you find a solution.

UM University libraries: open by appointment

The BUs are open by appointment only, so that you can return or borrow documents and equipment, and work on site.

In order to guarantee the safety of users and staff alike, sanitary measures and rules for the use of collections and areas in the BU have been adapted. It is up to everyone to respect these measures, in particular the wearing of masks, barrier gestures and physical distancing.

How do I make an appointment?

Information / orientation / professional integration

SCUIO-IP continues to answer all your questions.

Find all their services, telephone contacts and social networks at scuioip.umontpellier.fr

Email contact

Student associations

The Service Vie Étudiante is ready to support your initiatives, in particular to combat social isolation during confinement.
Contact email

If you have any questions about any of these provisions, students from the Student Life Office are at your disposal.
Contact email

Message from the President to students on September 16, 2020

Dear students,

We look forward to welcoming you to the University this autumn. However, as the Covid-19 epidemic has not enjoyed any lasting respite, reinforced precautionary measures are necessary.

Masks must now be worn on all University sites, by everyone, everywhere, indoors and out. Failure to comply with the mask requirement constitutes a breach of the University's internal regulations, and may result in sanctions. Exceptionally, the University will provide you with two washable masks. Distribution is currently handled by each Faculty, School or Institute.

If you are at risk of contracting a serious form of COVID, you must systematically wear masks for medical use, which can be prescribed by a doctor.
Students who are known to be vulnerable to COVID, and who have a medical certificate, can request accommodations for their studies, along the lines of those granted for disabilities, by contacting the preventive medicine department by e-mail.

In addition to wearing masks, barrier gestures must always be applied with vigilance, and it remains very important to wash hands very regularly. To do this, numerous hydroalcoholic gel dispensers have been installed at the various sites.

If you are positive for COVID, if you have been in high-risk contact* with a COVID+ person, or if you are showing COVID symptoms, we invite you to consult your GP as a matter of priority to find out what action to take. If you don't know a doctor, you can call 0 800 130 000 (free service and call), who will be able to refer you to a general practitioner. You can inform the COVID correspondents at your faculty, school or institute of your situation, noting down your telephone number, your date of birth and the date on which you took a test (or are going to take one), or the date on which you experienced symptoms. This information, communicated to the Agence Régionale de Santé, will facilitate the fight against the virus by breaking the chains of contamination. You can also consult the Santé Publique France fact sheets (downloadable at the end of this message).

The University's services(libraries, SCUIO-IP, SCMPPS, Handiversité, Art & Culture, SUAPS and Student Life Services) are mobilized to support you on a day-to-day basis, offering services that are as close as possible to those of a "normal" university.

Finally, as the start of the new academic year is usually synonymous withfestive and integration events, we would like to remind you that the organization of such events on the premises of the University of Montpellier is not authorized. Given the upturn in the epidemic, we also strongly advise against organizing and taking part in such events outside the university. They are particularly conducive to the spread of the virus. We also remind you that hazing is an offence punishable by 6 months' imprisonment and a fine of 7500 euros. It is strictly forbidden.

We know that the start of the new academic year is difficult for you. However, this should in no way dampen your motivation and your desire to succeed: together with the management of the UFRs, Schools and Institutes and the teaching teams, we are doing everything we can to ensure that your year runs as smoothly as possible.

We thank you in advance for your determination to combat the spread of the epidemic, and wish you all the best for the new academic year.

Yours sincerely

Philippe Augé
University President

Alexis Vandeventer
Student Vice President

* At-risk contact: any person who has had direct contact with a confirmed case in one of the following situations without effective protective measure(s) (surgical mask worn by the case or contact person, consumer mask manufactured according to the AFNOR standard or equivalent worn by the case AND contact person, hyggiaphone or other physical separation such as glass or Plexiglas):

  • Student or teacher in the same class or group ;
  • Student, teacher or other staff :
    • having shared the same living quarters as the confirmed or probable case;
    • who have had direct, face-to-face contact with a case, at a distance of less than 1 meter, for any length of time (e.g. conversation, meals, flirting, hugs, kisses). On the other hand, people encountered fleetingly in the public space are not considered to be at-risk contacts;
    • having performed or received acts of hygiene or care ;
    • having shared a confined space (office or meeting room, personal vehicle...) for at least 15 minutes with a case, or having been face-to-face with a case during several episodes of coughing or sneezing.

Consult the Santé Publique France fact sheets :

Message from the President to students on May 19, 2020

Dear students,

The gradual decontamination of our country began on May 11. Although you'll be away from campus until September, you're still at the heart of our concerns. While exams have begun in many departments, we are concentrating on issues such as internships, mobility and enrolments, in conjunction with the directors of the UFRs, Schools and Institutes.

We are also particularly attentive to the fight against student insecurity.

We would therefore like to draw your attention to the exceptional assistance of 200 euros proposed by the Government to help students who have lost their jobs/internships due to the Covid-19 crisis, on the one hand, and overseas students who have stayed in mainland France, on the other. This assistance is aimed at students in initial training, with or without grants. To apply, students must complete a form available on the government website.
Students from the French overseas territories can also benefit from negotiated rates for their return trip (https://bit.ly/2z1Oy2E).

But beyond these measures, the University of Montpellier remains fully committed to responding to social emergencies. The Fonds de Solidarité et de Développement des Initiatives Étudiantes (FSDIE) social fund has been replenished to respond to requests for exceptional financial assistance. This aid scheme can be combined with state or CROUS aid to help students in difficulty meet their needs. For more information, click here.

What's more, for those of you who, for lack of means, are unable to access digital services, the University of Montpellier is offering exceptional financial assistance to enable you to take out an Internet package, modify your current subscription or acquire a 4G key. To benefit, contact the UM Student Life Service.

If you would like to contact a health professional (doctor, psychologist, etc.), you can contact the Service Commun de Médecine Préventive et de Promotion de la Santé or the Centre de Soins Universitaire (CSU) in Montpellier by making an appointment on 04.11.28.19.79 or by e-mail.

Further information on student life can be found on the university website

We remain at your side, thanks to the commitment of our teaching and administrative teams, who work hard to maintain university life, even at a distance.

Yours sincerely

Philippe AUGÉ
University President

Alexis VANDEVENTER
Student Vice-President

Message from the President to students on March 30, 2020

Dear students,
Faced with the situation of containment, the only way to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, our University has organized itself to pursue its essential missions as best it can, particularly that of providing you with a quality education.

Many issues are still sensitive: the interruption of work experience, particularly internships, the digital divide and social difficulties remain problematic. In conjunction with the directors of the UFRs, Schools and Institutes, and thanks to the involvement of the teaching teams and our departments, we are doing our utmost to provide you with the most appropriate teaching solutions. Keep checking your university e-mails to find out about the various schemes organized by your component. We know that the question of exam procedures is one of your main concerns. And rightly so. We are working on a number of different hypotheses, even though we have no idea when the University will be able to resume business as usual. Please bear with us.

Such an upheaval in the organization of your studies and your personal life, in this difficult general context, can be a source of unease, anxiety and isolation, but, as we keep saying, social distancing doesn't have to be a social break.

Following this e-mail, we would like to inform you of the measures taken by our university's departments and services to support you during this delicate period in terms of student life, health, disability, social assistance, professional integration, documentation, culture and sport.

We will also support student initiatives to combat social isolation.

Sadly, our campuses are deserted, but we remain at your side.

We know that you are courageous in the face of adversity, and our thoughts go out to those of you who are currently on placement in hospital departments, as well as to those who are facing difficult circumstances.

Yours sincerely

Philippe AUGE
University President

Alexis VANDEVENTER
Student Vice-President

Message from the President to students on March 20, 2020

Dear students,

Following announcements by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Government, a lockdown has been put in place, resulting in the suspension of classroom classes. Faced with this unprecedented situation, the University of Montpellier is fully mobilized to develop measures to enable you to continue your university life as smoothly as possible. First and foremost, we must bear in mind that the deployment of these measures is designed to protect everyone's health, and that the use of remote communication tools should be the rule.

Our first objective was to ensure pedagogical continuity despite the epidemic. To guarantee this, the directors of the UFRs, Schools and Institutes are in daily contact with those responsible for teaching, and remain your key contacts in this area.

I'm also aware of your concerns about future internships and examinations. I want you to know that the decisions and measures that will be taken with the principals are in line with our desire to support you so that this pandemic does not penalize you in any way in your studies, and so that equal opportunities are respected.

This applies to all students, and more particularly to students with disabilities, for whom the handiversity service remains mobilized. Similarly, we are working with the Ministry to find solutions for students stranded abroad.

In addition, the SCUIO-IP continues to answer all your questions about career guidance and professional integration. You can find our services and contacts by email.

Beyond these pedagogical questions, the times we're living through can become a source of anxiety, worry and unease.

Social distancing, which is often mentioned, does not have to be a social rupture.

In conjunction with the University's Student Vice-President, Alexis Vandeventer, I decided that a certain number of actions should continue or be initiated.

Access to the resources and online services of the Service commun de Documentation remains available from theENT (Library tile). This is already the case for the books, journals and databases you are currently consulting, and in the course of next week, other resources will be available, including novels and comics. Online courses and tutorials to help you find the information you need are available on Moodle or on the Université de Montpellier channel. Personalized research assistance sessions (appointment with a librarian) and a remote question/answer service are available by email.

Likewise, if you wish to continue enjoying a cultural offering during the confinement, we offer you content to discover, read and listen to via the Facebook account Art & culture Université de Montpellier.

In the next few days, the Service Universitaire d'Activités Physiques et Sportives will be sending you a number of tutorials designed to help you stay active and relax.

Student associations working with the Student Life Office are also on hand to offer support if you feel isolated.

If you have any medical concerns, you can contact the Service Commun de Médecine Préventive et de Promotion de la Santé (SCMPPS). Your message will be directed to a healthcare professional. The Centre de Soins Universitaire (CSU) in Montpellier also remains open and continues to provide medical and psychological consultations. You can make an appointment by calling 04.11.28.19.79.

Finally, the CROUS is maintaining its emergency aid scheme for students who need it.

If you have any queries, the Campus Life Department will be happy to help you.

Finally, I would like to assure you of the full solidarity and support of the University of Montpellier in the face of this major crisis.

Yours sincerely

Philippe AUGE
University President

Tous Anti Covid" application

Launched on October 22nd 2020the "TousAntiCovid is designed to make it easier for people who have been in contact with a person testing positive for Covid-19 to be informed, and to speed up their treatment. This new application complements existing barrier measures.

A university committed to fighting the spread of the Covid19 virus

Scientific potential

With the CEMIPAI service laboratory, one of the largest L3-level microbiological safety research facilities in France, the University of Montpellier and the CNRS offer the scientific community the opportunity to work in a controlled atmosphere on infectious biological samples and class 3 biological agents, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis viruses or mosquito-borne viruses (Chikungunya, Dengue, Zika), pathogenic bacteria and prions.

In particular, CEMIPAI works with researchers at theInstitut de Research en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM / UM, CNRS), the Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections multidisciplinary research unit (PCCI / Inserm, UM, EFS) on antibody issues, and theInstitut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM / CNRS, UM, ENSCM).

Solidarity with caregivers and patients

In solidarity with caregivers and patients, the University is organizing a collection of medical equipment (protective masks, gloves, gowns) in its research laboratories for the benefit of Montpellier University Hospital. Pr Jacques Mercier, Vice-President in charge of research, is coordinating the operation on a hospital-wide scale.

Systems set up by the University of Montpellier

  • A special steering committee, led by the University President, coordinates the institution's operations.
  • Twice-weekly conference calls with Directors of Departments, Schools and Institutes, led by the President.
  • Daily conference calls with Directors and Heads of central and shared services, and with Administrative Directors of Departments, Schools and Institutes, led by the Director General of Services.
  • Informing the CHSCT.

For essential activities that have to be carried out on site, facility managers have put in place organization and procedures to ensure that on-site reception is carried out under the best possible health and safety conditions:

  • Implementation of appropriate "barrier" and preventive measures (hydroalcoholic solutions, gloves and masks where appropriate).
  • Daily monitoring to draw up a detailed list of personnel present on site to ensure follow-up and protection.
  • Social watch and hotline for the joint preventive medicine and health promotion service.
  • A dedicated e-mail address to answer all your questions.
  • Regular, targeted communication via e-mail and social networks.
  • Dedicated pages on the UM websites (students, public) and intranet (staff) to keep abreast of pandemic-related news and disseminate health instructions.
  • Regular updating of the web page dedicated to the facility's digital devices and creation of an emergency number for the service center.

Given the way the University is organized, its multi-site layout and its mode of operation, pedagogical organization is the responsibility of the UFRs, Schools and Institutes. Each structure has therefore drawn up its own version of the pedagogical continuity plan. UFRs, Schools and Institutes are therefore the privileged contact for students.

  • Widespread use of distance learning, with DSIN teams mobilized to support teachers.
  • Increased use of existing digital tools at school level(Moodle, Video...) and at national level(SupNumérique, FunMOOC, Universités Numériques Thématiques...).
  • Discussions are underway on the exam timetable and the adaptation, where necessary, of alternative ways of testing knowledge.
  • Amendments to internship agreements to take into account the diversity of situations (telecommuting, postponement, interruption, etc.).
  • Set up a social assistance scheme for internationally mobile students who have difficulty returning to France (notably due to rising transport costs), in conjunction with the CROUS.
  • Continued support for specific groups (top athletes, artists, student employees), and in particular for students with disabilities.

Particularly vigilant on the issue of equal opportunities, the University takes into account the potential digital divide for certain students (lack of equipment, problems accessing the Internet network). Discussions are underway with the Occitanie region to find solutions and, for example, make computers available to students.

"Social distancing, often evoked, must not be a social rupture".

In conjunction with the University's Student Vice-President, it was decided that a certain number of actions should continue or be initiated, including :

In accordance with the recommendations of the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation regarding continuity of Research, only essential activities that could not be carried out remotely were maintained in the classroom. This is of course also the case for the activities of laboratories involved in research into the COVID19 epidemic or comparable epidemics, a field in which the University of Montpellier is particularly involved.

  • Limitation of face-to-face research activities and use of telecommuting and remote working, with certain exceptions.
  • Continuation of face-to-face activities in laboratories where the interruption of certain manipulations would lead to the loss of essential, sensitive or particularly complex scientific studies, or would require considerable reorganization.
  • Consideration and support for the 24 start-ups present on the sites, close to the laboratories, through tax exemptions.

Further information

Various local, national and international studies are underway on containment issues. We invite you to take part:

The research team at the Centre national de ressource et de résilience, supported by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, wants to assess the impact of quarantine on the mental health of university students. To do this, we need your help.

To ensure that this study is representative and relevant, we invite you to respond to the various questionnaires sent out during the course of the study. You will be contacted on several occasions (every month during the confinement, if extended, and then every 3 months or so) for a period of one year from the start of the national confinement. Questionnaires are anonymous, and at no time will your identity be revealed.

If you feel unsettled or in difficulty during or after completing the questionnaire, don't hesitate to ask for support. Information is available on the CN2R (Centre national de ressources et de résilience) website. You can also contact the national medical-psychological support and care service on the 24/7 toll-free number (0 800 130 000), or your GP. In an emergency, call the SAMU-centre 15 by dialing 15.

  • Participate in the study and complete the first questionnaire (completion time is less than 15 minutes)

Share your feelings about confinement, your state of health & contribute to the advancement of research and knowledge on the coronavirus: www.confins.org

The CONFINS study is a collaborative research project that aims to better understand the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, whose disease is commonly known as COVID-19, and of confinement on your well-being and mental health. We also want to better understand your opinions and fears about this epidemic, its treatments and vaccines.

The survey is being conducted by a research team from MONTPELLIER RECHERCHE EN ECONOMIE (MRE, University of Montpellier).

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