Dear Students,

With regard to the epidemic situation in the past few days, at the request of the Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs, a meeting of the Crisis Management Team was held to decide about the form in which examinations will be conducted and course credits will be granted during the 2022 winter session.

After an analysis of available information on infection statistics, as well as legal options and actions taken by the Wroclaw Medical University so far, the decision to have a university quarantine in place was upheld. However, an obligation to provide a proof of notification to the Sanitary Authority or a referral for testing will be added when reporting in Pathway 2.

The Decision (Rector's Order No. 134/XVI R/2021 of 26 May 2021) to hold credits and examinations in the 2022 winter session in a stationary form has been upheld under the current conditions. In the event of a significant change in external or internal circumstances, the recommendations may change.

Due to the increasing number of infections and concerns raised by students of the Wroclaw Medical University about safety during examinations, teaching assistants were asked to confirm whether it was possible to conduct the session as previously recommended and therefore in a manner that would be safe for students and academic staff. To date, none of the deans has reported an inability to meet the requirements and all have opted for a session in a stationary form.

The university has taken a series of measures to safeguard students and staff:
- vaccination has been made available,
- infection testing and control has been facilitated through pathway reporting,
- situationally appropriate recommendations for the conduct of examinations and credits have been developed.

In terms of social competence, the educational standards require medical institutions of higher education to prepare you to take responsibility for decisions made in your professional activity, including in terms of your own safety and the safety of others. Hence our emphatic request to wear medical masks correctly and to comply with the recommendations found on the website under the coronavirus tab. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that, as medical students, you are trusted by society and seen as ambassadors of health-promoting behaviour, which is why it is so important that the correct wearing of medical masks, respecting the distance and disinfecting your hands is your habit not only during classes but also in other situations.

As many as 94% of you took the opportunity to be vaccinated, for which we are very grateful. As vaccination alone does not guarantee the elimination of the risk of contracting the disease, we remind you of the guidelines of the Crisis Management Team on examinations and credits for courses in the stationary form at the Wroclaw Medical University:

only a healthy person may attend the place where examinations or credits are carried out,
a person who has been placed in isolation or quarantine is not allowed to attend the place where an examination or credit is conducted,
up to 100 people are allowed in the examination room at the same time, taking care to keep social distance (every second seat should be left empty),
during the examination, but also in all premises of the university - both students and academic staff are required to wear medical masks (preferably FFP2),
disinfect your hands before entering the examination room.

In consideration of those who will be in quarantine during the session, students who have a positive Covid test will have their 1st examination date reactivated and will take the examination on a date agreed with the teacher, but in the same format as on the first examination date. If you do not receive credit for the course on the 1st date, the examiner will set a new date - either the 1st or 2nd re-sit date. Each student will have the opportunity to pass a course or take an examination in accordance with the Regulations of Studies.

With regard to questions related to non-attendance during quarantine or isolation, we would like to inform you that this will be treated as EXCUSED ABSENCE which, like any absence from classes, must be compensated for by arranging in advance the date and form with the teacher.

In the same way, in the case of absence from examinations due to isolation or quarantine, this will be an EXCUSED ABSENCE and, as in the case of other excused reasons, the student will be allowed to take the examination at another time in accordance with the Regulations of Studies.

The rules for taking examinations are set out in Chapter VII of the Regulations - Credits and Examinations, Part C, while the detailed procedure for taking examinations is regulated in Art. 39, and the rules of proceeding in the case of absence/inability to take an examination are regulated in Art. 40 of the said Regulations.

In accordance with Art. 40 of the Regulations of Studies, the student should inform the examiner about the reason for a failure to take the examination no later than within 3 working days from the agreed date of the examination. The original, written justification should be submitted to the examiner, or an electronic version should be sent via student's email to the examiner, who forwards the document to the Dean's Office of the relevant Faculty. If the justification is sent in an electronic version, the original document must be immediately submitted to the Dean's Office after the reason for the student's absence ceases. If the justification is accepted, the examiner shall issue his or her opinion on the application for the restitution of the term and submit the documents to the Dean who shall make the final decision.

We emphasise that justifications may include, but are not limited to, a medical certificate, a quarantine or isolation document downloaded from the Patient Online Account (IKP - Internetowe Konto Pacjenta), and confirmation of a high-risk contact reported in the University pathway.

In addition, please be reminded that you should properly fill out the pathways that define the procedures for dealing with low and high-risk contacts.

High-risk contact is:
- sharing a flat with a person with COVID-19 until that person is diagnosed as infected,
- sharing a flat with a person with COVID-19 - no possibility of isolation despite diagnosis of infection,
- direct physical contact with a person with COVID-19 (e.g. a handshake),
- direct, unprotected contact with secretions of a person with COVID-19 (e.g. touching a used tissue, exposure to an infected person's cough),
- contact longer than 15 minutes while wearing cloth masks without maintaining a distance of at least 1.5 metres,
- any contact, regardless of distance and duration, with a person diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection without personal protective equipment (masks).

Low-risk contact is:
- contact while wearing masks regardless of duration with a distance of at least 1.5 metres,
- contact while wearing medical masks or FFP2 and FFP3 particle-filtering half masks regardless of distance and duration of contact.

Depending on the type of contact, the application must be made by completing the appropriate pathway, via the website:
https://ed.umw.edu.pl/medicine-covid-forms

If you have any questions, please first look for answers at the following link:
Coronavirus FAQ - notification pathways, quarantine | Wroclaw Medical University (umw.edu.pl)

That is why it is so important to wear medical masks - it allows you to significantly reduce the risk and contact with an infected person and make it a low-risk contact that does not exclude you from normal functioning and participation in classes and taking examinations in the winter session.

The epidemic is a great test for all of us – an examination of our responsibility for ourselves and others. When you choose the medical profession, you take on great responsibility. The University will make every effort to ensure that all your activities take place in a safe environment. Let us not forget that safety level depends the most on ourselves - students and staff. So, let us take care of each other.