Coronavirus Updates | Barcelona SAE

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL FALL 2020 IN PERSON PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC. IN THE MEANTIME, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT OUR VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP OPTIONS OR START PLANNING FOR OUR 2021 PROGRAMS!

Dear Students, Partners, Colleagues & Friends,

The events surrounding COVID-19 in 2020 have taught us all valuable lessons in health and safety and risk management, as well as the importance of relationships with our partners, cross-cultural sharing and understanding. Only by working together can we overcome the tremendous challenge of staying safe during a pandemic and ensuring a future for the all-important job that we do.

As International Educators, our role is more important than ever to facilitate educational experiences for our students and we look forward to the day soon, where we can welcome students once again to the wonderful city of Barcelona. We have been working hard over the last several months upgrading protocols, speaking with experts, and planning to mitigate risks associated with travel and study in this new environment.

At Barcelona SAE, we are proud to say that we have updated our already robust Risk Management Plan with a specific COVID-19 Addendum to maximize the safety and security of our participants and staff. The addendum has been created with the expertise of study abroad professionals, guidance from governing bodies, as well as a former Barcelona SAE staff member who earned his M.A. in Infectious Diseases, has worked as a registered nurse, and during the height of coronavirus cases in Barcelona, used his weekends to work in hospitals treating patients.

We base our COVID-19 Risk Management Plan on several sources including:

Center for Disease Control (CDC)
World Health Organization (WHO)
US Department of State
Spanish Ministry of Health
Catalan Health Advisory Council
Association of North American University Programs in Spain (APUNE)
Guidelines from the Forum on Education Abroad
Guidelines from NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Guidelines from this Inside Higher Ed article

As we all know too well, guidelines are changing by the day. We have prepared our updated protocols with the most updated information available and we commit to closely monitoring new guidelines as they emerge. Our mission is to continue to offer a safe and enriching program while maintaining the essence of a Barcelona SAE program: cultural immersion, guided reflection in our cultural mentor groups, using Barcelona as the classroom, and personalized attention to our participants. With this in mind, we have also created new programming to meet students’ needs such as our Virtual Internships and Virtual Solutions.

If you have any questions, concerns or doubts, please feel free to talk to me, or your Barcelona SAE contact. We wish you all the best and a collective strength for optimism towards a brighter future that will come soon.

Rich Kurtzman | Founder & CEO

Disclaimer: The plans for 2021 programming will depend on the evolving recommendations of health care professionals.

For the foreseeable future, we will implement following protocols to reduce risks associated with COVID-19 while monitoring updated guidelines:

Pre-Departure

Starting 1 month prior to departure, students will receive weekly updates on the current situation in Barcelona and Spain related to COVID-19
The document BSAE Action Protocol against COVID-19: Recommendations to Students will be sent to all participants before arriving in Barcelona.
The students’ packing list has been be updated with suggestions as to the personal responsibility of each student to bring hand sanitizer, masks, and/or gloves based on the recommendations of the CDC and the Spanish Ministry of Health at that time
We will continue to mandate that students to sign up for the STEP program through the US consulate
We will add advising hours for students, parents and US university partners in preparation for extra questions

Orientation

The document BSAE Action Protocol against COVID-19: Recommendations to Students that was sent to all participants before arriving in Barcelona will be reviewed upon arrival.
Pre-recorded welcome orientation information will be sent to any arrivals not arriving on the official arrival day.
All orientation sessions include main safety measures and good hygiene practices, with additional focus on the current status of COVID-19.
Antiseptic hand gel will be provided for the orientation and social distancing best practices will be followed.

Housing

For Fall 2020, all students will have the option to pay extra to guarantee an individual room, and other students will share a double room.
For Fall 2020, we will only partner with host families who are 65 years old or younger to help ensure the safety of our host families
Students will be encouraged to respect social distancing measures in common areas, and to clean shared bathrooms and kitchens frequently.
Guidelines will be given to students on cleaning following the CDC’s advice on Disinfecting your Facility. Barcelona SAE will provide students with a list of the stores to buy the products they need.
Barcelona SAE will follow local protocol for additional cleaning measures (cleaning bathrooms and kitchens with additional frequency) as set by the local authorities.
Barcelona SAE will facilitate self-contained housing for any student needing to self-isolate, as mandated by a doctor.

Academics

For our Academic Study Center, Barcelona School for International Studies (SIS):
- To guarantee the continuity of courses should there be a major outbreak or if individual students need to be quarantined, students will be able to transfer between in person and distance learning if the need emerges, should they need to be quarantined in Barcelona or if they need to return home Participants will maintain a distance of 1.5 meters (5 feet) from others in classes and on academic visits, or follow the Spanish Ministry of Health’s guidelines at the time.
- In Fall 2020, guaranteed class size of no more than 12 students
- The entrance to the classes will be organized in a staggered way to avoid crowds, or follow the Spanish Ministry of Health’s guidelines at the time.
- The break times between classes will be different for each group to avoid overcrowding in common areas.
- Common areas for students, including classrooms, will have a reduced capacity to 50%, or follow the Spanish Ministry of Health’s guidelines at the time.
- Hand sanitizer stations are in place around all Barcelona SAE offices
We are working closely with our partner universities in Barcelona to ensure they have all of the Spanish Ministry of Health’s recommendations for re-opening schools.

Internships

Students who are participating in internships will need to follow the guidelines of Spanish authorities about working in office environments and Barcelona SAE will work closely with our network of Internship providers to ensure safety protocol is followed.
Students will be able to continue working on their internship projects remotely should the need arise.

Activities & Transportation

On September 1st, 2020, based on guidelines of the Spanish Ministry of Health and US consulate in Spain, we will decide whether to replace the overnight excursion in the fall 2020 with several extra immersive cultural activities in Barcelona for the dual purpose of avoiding enclosed spaces and furthering our Core Value of Passion for Barcelona.
Program activities will be adapted to follow updated guidelines set by the Spanish government and Ministry of Health
Cultural activities that can avoid risk of overcrowding will take precedence.
Trips and activities that involve transportation will respect the safety distance and measures recommended by the Spanish authorities.
Face masks will be recommended or made mandatory depending on the type of activity and the Spanish government’s recommendations at the time.
No independent travel outside of Spain will be allowed for all Spring 2021 programs.

Organizational Measures

In accordance with the occupational risk regulations, the staff and students will be informed in a reliable, updated and habitual way of the health recommendations that they must follow.
The staff and students will be provided with the necessary hygiene products to be able to follow the recommendations set by the CDC and Spanish government while at work or class. An adequate supply of soap, hydroalcoholic solution and disposable tissues will be made available at the universities and workplaces. Students must bring or purchase their own masks, if deemed necessary by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
In the event that a student or a worker manifests symptoms, Barcelona SAE will follow the protocol of recommendations Procedure for occupational risk prevention services against exposure to SARSCoV-2 (COVID19) of the Spanish Ministry of Health to limit the contagion of others.
Contact management:
- If someone is deemed to have had “casual contact” with a possible, probable or confirmed case of COVID-19, they will be able to continue with normal activity, using normal precautions. This includes having a classmate with the virus that they did not sit in close quarters to. Participants may not be aware that they’ve had contact with someone in this condition.
- If someone is deemed to have had “close contact” with a possible, probable or confirmed case of COVID-19. The student or worker will need to carry out a 14-day home quarantine and to actively monitor their symptoms. If testing is made available and the person tests negative, they may return to normal activity.
Hospital Delfos, the hospital Barcelona works most closely with has included:
- Online video consultation service with specialists to guarantee the greatest safety for the patients without leaving home.
- Quick tests to confirm or rule out the virus and find out if they have had it before. The costs of these tests may or may not be covered by the student’s CISI insurance (or their home school’s insurance) policy. As of June 2020, it only is covered by the insurance if the student has symptoms; if not, the price is 120€. This may change depending on the CISI future agreements and on the global situation.

Virtual Solutions

While the world may have changed drastically in 2020, the needs of students and university partners has not. This is why we have launched Barcelona SAE Virtual Solutions.

Find more information about our success-oriented Virtual Internships where you can still get valuable work experience with a local Spanish company to boost your resume as well as cultural and professional development, all from the comfort of your own home (or local café, if you prefer).

Please send us an inquiry at info@barcelonasae.com for more information about other Virtual Solutions such as Customized Faculty-Led, group consulting projects, hybrid virtual + in-country programs.

Refund Policy

Due to the unprecedented circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have updated our refund policy to allow for maximum flexibility.

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