Even in Phase 2 of the Covid-19 emergency, the five campuses of Università Cattolica will not have any classroom activities for students until July 31, 2020. However, the University is actively working to ensure the necessary safety standards for students, lecturers and technical-administrative staff in full compliance with government regulations. Logistical reorganization of the spaces, creation of one-way paths, measurement of body temperature, sanitization of all areas, including library books, renovation of the technological equipment in classrooms, constant monitoring of the flow of public: these are just some of the actions put in place in the five venues of the University to maintain social distance and cope with the containment of the virus.

In order to best fulfill these objectives, among the first in Italy Università Cattolica has adopted a health security protocol to guarantee community protection measures. This protocol will be validated and constantly updated - taking into account the trend of the epidemiological curve, health indications and the Government - by a multidisciplinary task force made up of doctors and professors from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the “A. Gemelli” University Polyclinic Foundation, committed since the beginning of the emergency to the health management of Covid-19 patients through a Covid Hospital completely dedicated to the care of this type of patients.

In order to maintain social distancing - also made possible by an agile work plan put in place by the University for the entire university community - a logistical reorganisation of the spaces is underway. In the Milan campus at the main entrance of Largo Gemelli, as well as in Via Necchi 5 and 7, and in Sant'Agnese - and soon in all the locations - body temperature control is being activated. The security staff equipped with the necessary sanitary devices - masks, gloves and facial protection by means of a protective screen - with special scanner thermometers checks the temperature. Soon these manual measuring instruments will be replaced by innovative thermo scanners.

In the meantime, the classrooms are being sanitized, while in all buildings, dispensers with hydroalcoholic gel for hand disinfection have been placed in a capillary manner. In the Athenaeum, paths are being prepared, where it is possible to walk one way, indicated both by posted signs and footpaths to facilitate the flow of people. In particular, in order to avoid crowding, all the buildings will have a single entrance and a single exit. For the central office, the main entrance will be Largo Gemelli 1 and the exit via Necchi 2. Also the stairs will be one way, while the elevators can be used by one person at a time.

In order to manage Phase 3 in the best waypossible, starting from these days, the 500 or so classrooms in the headquarters will be equipped with filming systems, combined with the existing multimedia systems, which will allow the teacher to teach in the classroom, as s/he has always done, with the difference that s/he can be followed remotely. Supporting applications - for example Teams or Blackboard Collaborate tools - will ensure the maximum degree of interactivity of the lesson, even from a distance. All this is part of the #eCatt plan, the new structure to support the enjoyment of lessons, which through digital initiatives and tools allows students to carry out their studies and training activities safely and confidently.

Classroom teaching will be resumed as soon as possible, but the participation of students will be limited by an app through which they can book their place in the classroom on the basis of chronological and alphabetical criteria. Everything will be done with the utmost respect for the protection of privacy.