Coronavirus Update: Return To Campus Dates & Ease of Social Distancing

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Local media has been abuzz, and now that we have received the official, and stamped letter, we too can celebrate the directives in the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee letter #1490/UBND-VX. And the real excitement that I’d like to share with you, is that we are, at this very moment awaiting confirmation from the People’s Committee on a possible reopening of schools in early May.

In the interim, schools in HCMC have received a comprehensive set of criteria for ensuring a high level of health and safety of all campuses. Of course, as you have come to expect, SSIS will ensure that we meet or exceed the expectations as outlined by the Vietnamese Government.

In order to ensure that we are adequately prepared for a possible physical opening, it is time for faculty and staff to return to campus. These are the dates and we will follow up with the exact times:

Monday, April 27: Senior Leadership Team and Divisional Leadership Teams return

Tuesday: April 28: All other faculty and staff return

We understand that returning to campus while children are working from home may cause difficulty for some of you. Please speak with your divisional principal or supervisor about the options that you can explore to help alleviate this concern.

Please note, as you head into the weekend, that the directives continue to restrict businesses in the entertainment, beauty care, and fitness-related sectors, i.e. gyms, spas, cinemas, etc. And there is a limit on gatherings of more than 20 people – which should be helpful to know, as we see establishments, who themselves may be trying to make sense of the directives, begin to open and invite us all back in (please note that there is a poster of the directives, attached for your convenience). There is an undeniable vibrant buzz in the air as the city regains hope that we may slowly begin to move in another direction.

Please note that the directive also states that we must continue using masks in public places and at work, wash our hands, and maintain a safe distance of 2 meters from others. Further, it states that we should limit ourselves to going out, only if necessary. If we continue to follow these measures as diligently as we have, let’s hope that we can all be reunited on campus, with our students and each other, soon.

The ability to ease restrictions is a true testament to the effective measures that the Vietnamese government has taken to ensure our health and safety during this pandemic.

Have a well-deserved rest and relaxation this weekend!

All good wishes,
Catriona