Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the university has undertaken several decisions in order to ensure the safety of the whole community. In fact, they released several documents explaining the procedures they will be following in every situation.
In the case of infection, whether a suspect case or a close contact, the university’s health center takes action and confines the concerned students. Indeed, Al Akhawayn has made it clear that in case of any transgressions, concerned parties will be subject to fines and charges. Therefore, all students were to report anything that would put the whole community at risk.
Understanding the procedure
For starters, students in such cases resort to the Building 26 nurses who report in return to the university’s physician, Dr. Adnane Guenoun. One could argue that this procedure itself is very inefficient. The students should wait for the doctor to approve their requests which usually takes time. After the approval, students are required to bring their belongings and join a room in Building 26. Nevertheless, some students were given the choice to confine themselves in their room while others were not. This particular distinction makes a significant difference in the way confined students are perceived. Wouldn’t it be safe to assume that some are more trustworthy than others? Although it sounds more rational to confine all students in one building, one could put forward the assumption that perhaps there are not enough rooms for all suspect cases.
Additionally, all requests, including food and items from the shop, are processed by the Housing department. Students send an email and staff deliver everything they would need to their rooms. However, many complained about the lack of communication from the administrative side. There is rare information about the proper channels to be used when something is needed as well as the proper hours for ordering.
In most cases, students are required to stay confined from 7 to 14 days. The doctor comes often to conduct medical check-ups and track signs of COVID-19. In the case of no unusual symptoms, students can leave the quarantine and go back to their regular lives. While it may sound logical to some, young adults often show no symptoms even in cases of infection. The latter could put the whole community at risk.
Questioning the procedure
As previously explained, the COVID-19 protocol at AUI is very much revolved around prevention. Therefore, the administration established several procedures and regulations to avoid any clusters. In addition, it seems like using their approach, the situation would be more manageable and under control. Needless to say, one cannot deny that much focus has been put on prevention rather than the actual treatment. When suspect cases are identified, the issue of test availability arises. Similar to Morocco’s PCR test crisis, the Health Center struggles with providing testing for all students. In this case, it seems like only serious cases and students who meet certain criteria are to be tested. The latter could cause many coronavirus cases to go unnoticed, hence, an increase of infections on campus.
However, some students claim that when tests are required, the nurses do not mention the possibility of reimbursement. In fact, many stated that the Health Center does not clarify the insurance procedure for PCR tests. Although it is clear that a doctor’s notice is required to benefit from a refund, there is no clear communication about the entire process to students. This exact lack of transparency about the whole protocol creates a certain confusion and ambiguity about the way AUI is handling the crisis. One is only left to question the efficiency of such protocols and regulations.
In this case, one could also mention the fact that many off-campus students are granted access to campus without any negative PCR tests. The latter can create real problems since they could be positive and showing no symptoms. As a result, the whole community, including staff, faculty, and students, is put at risk.
Finally, the rationale behind the COVID-19 protocol at AUI is very ambiguous and questionable. We might disagree at some point, but we cannot go against the word of medical experts. The university takes pride in following experts’ advice and recommendations. Students should somewhat trust the administration’s decisions since, to be honest, the situation is still under control and no serious cases were reported yet. Therefore, students are to act with vigilance and precaution in order to ensure a safe environment for all students on campus.
