Physics 410: COVID-19 Information

Covid Safety in the Classroom

Masks: Masks are required for all indoor classes, as per the BC Public Health Officer orders. For our in-person meetings in this class, it is important that all of us feel as comfortable as possible engaging in class activities while sharing an indoor space. For the purposes of this order, the term "masks" refers to medical and non-medical masks that cover our noses and mouths. Masks are a primary tool to make it harder for Covid-19 to find a new host. You will need to wear a medical or non-medical mask for the duration of our class meetings, for your own protection, and the safety and comfort of everyone else in the class. Your mask should cover your nose and mouth. Please do not eat in class. If you need to drink water/coffee/tea/etc, please keep your mask on between sips. Please note that there are some people who cannot wear a mask. These individuals are equally welcome in our class.

Students who need to request an exemption to the indoor mask mandate must do so based on one of the grounds for exemption detailed in the PHO Order on Face Coverings (COVID-19). Such requests must be made through the Center for Accessibility (info.accessibility@ubc.ca).

Vaccination: If you have not yet had a chance to get vaccinated against Covid-19, vaccines are available to you, free, and on campus [Information to come]. The higher the rate of vaccination in our community overall, the lower the chance of spreading this virus. You are an important part of the UBC community. Please arrange to get vaccinated if you have not already done so.

Seating in class: To reduce the risk of Covid transmission, please sit in a consistent area of the classroom each day. This will minimize your contacts and will still allow for the pedagogical methods planned for this class to help your learning.

Your personal health

• A daily self-health assessment is required before attending campus. Every day, before coming to class, complete the self-assessment for Covid symptoms using this tool: https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en

• Do not come to class if you have Covid symptoms, have recently tested positive for Covid, or are required to quarantine. You can check this website to find out if you should self-isolate or self-monitor: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/self-isolation#Who.

• Your precautions will help reduce risk and keep everyone safer.
  

• In this class, the marking scheme is intended to provide flexibility so that you can prioritize your health and still be able to succeed. Your grade will be determined entirely on your performance on homework, projects and a term paper.  If you are unable to complete any of these by their respective due dates because of health issues (not necessarily Covid), you will be granted an extension that will take your circumstances into account.
  

If you do miss class because of illness:

• Make a connection early in the term to another student or a group of students in the class. You can help each other by sharing notes. If you don't yet know anyone in the class, post on Piazza to connect with other students.

• Consult the class resources on Canvas. In particular, there is a complete set of recordings from last year's offering of the course that you can access.

• Use Piazza for help.

• Arrange for a virtual office visit (send me email).
  

Instructor health

If I am sick: I will do my best to stay well, but if I am ill, develop Covid symptoms, or test positive for Covid, then I will not come to class. If that happens, here's what you can expect:

• My colleague, Dr. Moshe Rozali, will substitute.

• If I am well enough to teach, but am taking precautions to avoid infecting others, we may have a synchronous online session or two. If this happens, you will receive a Canvas announcement telling you how to join the class. You can anticipate that this would very likely be a last minute email. Our classroom will still be available for you to sit and attend an online session, in this (hopefully rare) instance.