All College lectures will be delivered online for the rest of the semester, Provost Patrick Prendergast today announced, but tutorials, seminars and labs will continue as normal, in a marked step up in the measures Trinity is taking to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The Book of Kells, Science Gallery and Douglas Hyde are also closed from 1pm today, Prendergast wrote in an email to all staff and students. The College stopped admitting visitors from noon today, in order to be able to shut at 1pm.
The email, signed by Prendergast and Vice-Provost Jurgen Barkhoff, states that Trinity is continuing to run the smaller teaching sessions – lectures, seminars and labs – while cancelling lectures in order to “maintain continuity of teaching and learning while minimizing the need to bring together students in large groups”.
The email advised students to consult their timetable, or school or course co-ordinator, if they’re unsure if a particular session constitutes a lecture or tutorial.
“Social distancing protocols” will be implemented in the teaching sessions that do go ahead, the email stated.
Prendergast and Barkhoff wrote that both measures “are being taken in the interests of your health and well-being and to decrease any potential impacts on the larger community”.
“Our goal is to decrease the number of instances that lead to students, staff, and visitors coming together in large groups in close proximity with each other”, they wrote, adding: “We recognize that teaching is one of Trinity’s great strengths and that the decision regarding academic activities will be inconvenient to many of you but we must recognise that COVID-19 presents a very serious threat to the health and well-being of all in the Trinity community.”
The email also stated that “further measures may be necessary and these arrangements will be kept under continuous review”.
Today, Trinity launched its strategic plan over live stream after yesterday cancelling the physical launch. In an email sent to those attending, Prendergast wrote of College’s “regret” at the cancellation, but added that “we believe that this is the best course of action under the circumstances”.
Residents in Trinity’s accommodation have also been banned from hosting non-College guests – both daytime and overnight.
And last week, The University Times reported that College had left open the possibility that Trinity Ball might be cancelled.
