The following information was emailed to all DKU staff on Feb. 4 by the DKU Emergency Preparedness Task Force. We will share updates as we have them on our website and on Facebook and Twitter.
The purpose for this email is to update the Duke Kunshan community on our back-to-work plan and to answer some of the questions we have received from faculty and staff.
It is the policy of DKU to maintain essential business services and operations during any emergency while at the same time maintaining the highest levels of health, safety and well-being for everyone in the DKU community.
As a result, to minimize the need for staff to travel during the coronavirus outbreak, only employees whose duties and responsibilities are essential in carrying out critical services and employees who are crucial to supporting DKU’s online plan are required to return to campus on Feb. 24.
For the purposes of this email, we will refer to this group as “essential personnel”.
What this means for you:
Essential personnel
The Office of the VCAA will determine which staff members are crucial to supporting DKU’s online plan and will liaise with unit heads across DKU to identify essential personnel in other areas.
All those identified as essential personnel will receive a notification shortly from the DKU Emergency Preparedness Task Force and/or your supervisor.
To prepare for your return to campus, if you are currently outside the Kunshan/Suzhou/Shanghai area, you will need to return to your place of residence no later than Feb. 10 to observe 14 calendar days of self-isolation, as required by the Jiangsu provincial government.
Essential personnel who arrive on campus on Feb. 24 after at least 14 days of self-isolation will receive a mandatory temperature check.
Please note that we are aware some employees may be unable to travel due to domestic and international travel restrictions. Those currently in Hubei province or Wenzhou city, for example, should follow the travel guidance issued by the government.
Non-essential personnel
Employees deemed non-essential personnel should not return to campus until further notice from the university. If you are currently outside the Kunshan/Suzhou/Shanghai area, DKU does not require you to return at this time. We also strongly advise that you limit all movement to essential travel only.
From Feb. 5 onwards, you may resume working remotely from home or another safe location. Contact your supervisor to discuss arrangements and possible work assignments.
Unit heads
Provide the names of those team members you believe to be essential personnel to the Office of the VCAA as soon as possible.
Over the next few weeks, you are required to communicate regularly with the members of your team and provide them with clear instructions on assignments, working hours, and all other day-to-day matters.
Please stay informed on each team member’s location and health status, as well as the travel plans of those now outside Kunshan. If any team member returns to Kunshan/Suzhou/Shanghai, remind them of the 14-day self-isolation requirement and immediately notify DKU HR.
If you have questions related to human resources, contact HR director Pauline Liu. For questions relating to IT, contact William Wan in DKU IT.
We hope everyone will contribute their full efforts to helping reduce the disruption the coronavirus outbreak is having on DKU’s operations and activities. Let’s support each other and work together to keep our university moving forward. Your cooperation is much appreciated.
Chancellor Youmei Feng
EVC Denis Simon
DKU Emergency Preparedness Task Force
