Coronavirus Updates | Barcelona SAE

Dear Students, Partners, Colleagues & Friends,

The events surrounding COVID-19 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: Plans for our programming are always subject to change and 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:

COVID-19 Update: November 23, 2020

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that his Cabinet will approve the country’s coronavirus vaccination plan on Tuesday, and predicted that “a very substantial part of the Spanish population could be vaccinated with all guarantees during the first quarter of 2021.” Speaking from La Rioja, where he presented the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for the Spanish Economy, he said that “Spain, along with Germany, would be the first European Union country to have a complete vaccination plan.”

The European Union has already signed contracts with pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, Sanofi/GSK, Janssen and BioNTech/Pfizer for a total of one billion doses of coronavirus vaccine, the prime minister explained, adding that the signing of a contract with the CureVac company is “imminent,” and that negotiations with Moderna and Novavax are very advanced for a total of an additional 400 million doses. Spain is to be allocated 10% of the contracted doses, and work is going on to ensure they are “available as soon as possible,” Sánchez explained.

Information taken from the November 20th article on El País.

COVID-19 Update: November 19, 2020

There have been a few positive headlines this week about the reopening of Spain that mean good news for those of us living here and those who would like to visit:

Students and faculty will be allowed into Spain for less than 90 days provided that they present a letter, written in English and Spanish, proving that they are entering for academic purposes.
Individuals entering Spain from the US will need to prove a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure. Here is the official information in English.
Bars and restaurants are reopening in Catalonia! This is big news for a culture that loves to be social at bars and restaurants. As of Monday, November 23 the “Plan for phased reopening” begins in Catalonia. Here are the details:
- It will last 2 months and it’s made up of 4 stages, each lasting 15 days and opening up more and more progressively if certain goals are met.
- In the first phase, terraces (outdoor seating) of bars and restaurants can reopen if:
  - They keep a minimum of 2 meters between clients and only 4 people per table unless they are all of the same pod or bubble, in which case they can have 6. (Cultural note: Spanish people LIVE for their outdoor eating and drinking so this is an important step)
  - Restaurants can reopen inside as well but only at 30% capacity and with proper ventilation.
  - They can open from 6 am until 9:30 pm. (Cultural note: most people in Spain don’t finish eating, let alone start eating dinner, by 9:30 pm but the goal is to stop the late-night crowd from going out).
In terms of schooling, universities are still virtual but younger students are all in person.
Cinemas, theaters and concert halls can reopen at 50%
Libraries, museums and exhibitions can open and now allow 50% instead of 30% capacity.
Gyms can now open at 30%.
Private gatherings can have a maximum of 6 people.
We are not allowed to leave Catalonia during the week, or leave the larger municipality of Barcelona on the weekends except for a valid reason.
There is still a curfew in Catalonia between 10pm and 6am unless you have a valid reason to be out.

If the epidemiological statistics keep improving, then every 2 weeks more restrictions will be lifted including fewer travel restrictions, more capacity in restaurants and entertainment locations, in person university classes and bigger groups allowed together more in order to “return progressively to normal economic and social activities,” according to the VP of the Catalan Government.

The VP also pointed out that cases in Catalonia are down to about 2000 per day from the 6000 per day a few weeks ago.

Information taken from the November 19th article on La Vanguardia newspaper’s website.

Rich Kurtzman | Founder & CEO

COVID-19 Update: November 9, 2020

This is the latest COVID-19 update from Barcelona SAE and I’m happy to say that things are looking up! According to the Spanish Ministry of Health, the Rt Reproduction rate (the rate at which 1 person spreads the infection to others) is now below 1 in more than half of Spain’s 17 regions. This is important because when the rate is below 1, the rate of infection decreases vs increases. Catalonia has a rate of 0.96 which shows that the measures implemented recently (see the infographic, partially translated below) are having the desired effects. If the rate remains around .9, the number of cases will be cut in half in a month, at .8, even sooner.

COVID-19 PREVENTION MEASURES INFOGRAPHIC TRANSLATED:

Cannot leave Catalonia on the weekends without justification
Can’t be out on the streets between 10PM and 6AM
Social activities limited to 6 people (with exceptions)
Gyms are closed but exercising individually is ok
Museums open at 33% capacity; theaters closed
30% capacity at stores of 800m2 or less
30% capacity at places of religious worship
Cafés and restaurants only open for takeaway or delivery
Universities teaching virtually
Workers working from home except when that’s not possible

An interesting cultural observation that my wife (who is from England) pointed out: One of the new measures says that kids’ playgrounds remain open, but only until 8 pm.

This aspect of time is one thing that neither of us have adopted here; we put our 5 and 7 year old kids to bed around 8:00 or 8:30pm while most of their Spanish friends are up until about 9:30 or 10:00pm (and later on the weekends)! So, closing parks at 8:00pm has had absolutely no consequences for us. I imagine in the US, they might have had to close the parks at 6:00pm to adjust for the cultural difference.

Rich Kurtzman | Founder & CEO

Pre-Departure

Starting 2 months prior to departure, students will receive weekly email updates on the current situation in Barcelona and Spain related to COVID-19 and the Barcelona SAE website will also include the most up-to-date information.
Barcelona SAE will also hold webinars for students and parents in the months leading up to the program start date to give updates and answer questions. We will manage students’ expectations and tell them that their time abroad may not look and feel like their friends’ last fall or last summer and that they should expect more restrictions as outlined in our updated Agreement & Release Form.
An updated version of the document “BSAE Action Protocol against COVID-19: Recommendations to Students” reflecting new realities closer to the start date, will be sent to all participants before arriving in Barcelona.
The students’ packing list has been 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 the time.
We will continue to mandate that students 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 and concerns in the time leading up to their program and onsite.
Finally, we will enhance our already robust cultural exploration suggestions for Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain to nudge students towards the positive aspects of only being able to travel within the borders of Spain for one term.

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 spring 2021, we will only plan to house students in residence halls and where we know their COVID-ready procedures follow the recommendations of the Spanish health ministry.

Many are audited by outside agencies for hygiene and sanitation and include precautions such as:
- Before check-in rooms are disinfected by a specialized external agency
- Students have a briefing at check-in about health and safety protocols
- Then students have an in-depth orientation about health and safety measures
- Staff are trained in workplace health and safety
Additional rooms will be available for anyone required to self-isolate
Increased and enhanced cleaning measures in place.
All students will have the option to pay extra to guarantee an individual room, and other students will share a double room.
Quiet areas for study have been re-organized to meet regulations.
The double rooms will be prepared so that the students’ heads are 6 feet apart and/or there will be some type of divider between the beds such as a curtain.
If a student tests positive and needs to self-quarantine, and doesn’t already have a single room in a residence hall, we will have single rooms with wi-fi access available for the period that the student needs as deemed necessary by local doctors.
The students will need to pay up to $600 per 2-4 week period that they are quarantined to partially cover the costs associated with the housing.
Students will be supplied with all the necessary information about food delivery – both groceries and ready-made food to go – which are abundant in Barcelona.

Academics

For our Academic Study Center, Barcelona School for International Studies (SIS) during Spring 2021:
- 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.
- Students and faculty will be asked to wear a mask throughout class.
- 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 if they are more restrictive..
- 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 the classroom space.
- Plexiglass shields will be placed between staff interacting with students.
- Attendance policies will be revised to reflect the urgency of staying home when ill.
- If there is a positive case in any classroom, it will be thoroughly disinfected or potentially temporarily closed.
- As many classes as possible will be held outdoors.
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

Program activities will be adapted to follow updated guidelines set by the Spanish government and Ministry of Health.
Face masks will be recommended or made mandatory, depending on the type of activity and the Spanish government’s recommendations at the time.
Any excursion with a bus will be done at reduced capacity, if required by Spanish health ministry.
Hand sanitizer will be provided and obligatory before getting on the bus.
Masks will be obligatory during the entire bus ride.
Bus companies will have to comply with safety regulations of hygiene before and during excursions.
Excursions and cultural activities that are within Barcelona, and in outdoor spaces, will take precedence. We see this as a positive and a way for our students to truly get to know Barcelona like a local which has always been Barcelona SAE’s mission from the very beginning.
For Spring 2021, the plan, as of now, is to still run an overnight excursion but it will be held in March instead of earlier in the semester to hopefully give more time for things to improve. However, if we deem it unsafe to take students out of Barcelona, we will cancel the excursion and replace it with more activities in Barcelona.

Organizational Measures

In accordance with occupational risk regulations, the staff and students will be updated routinely of the health recommendations that they must follow as mandated by the Spanish Health Ministry.
Staff will wear a mask whenever they are in close contact with a student as mandated by Spanish law. (i.e. As of July 20, 2020, when sitting inside or outside at a restaurant and at the appropriate social distance, no mask is necessary)
BSAE staff will have detailed protocols which will be drilled and rehearsed in case there are any major cases or outbreaks.
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.
Staff will share as few materials as possible and anything that is shared will be disinfected.

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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