Madrid Coronavirus Health Advisory

For information about the coronavirus as well as the University’s response in Boston, Massachusetts, please visit Suffolk’s Coronavirus Advisory page. 

There was a sharp rise in cases at the start of the year owing to people being together over the holidays and the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, but this number has decreased significantly over the course of February. Given the milder symptoms of the omicron variant, the rate of hospitalizations and deaths is currently at the same rate as it was at the start of March 2021.

Different regions of Spain have responded to the current wave of cases in different ways, several are currently requesting proof of vaccination to be able to eat or drink in public establishments whereas some have maximum occupancy limits still. The restrictions vary by location, so it is always best to check.

In Madrid the regulations are currently as follows:

• There are currently no limits on capacity in bars and restaurants, neither indoors nor outdoors.
• There are currently no limits on capacity in night clubs and other late-night venues. Dancing is permitted indoors as long as social distancing is followed and masks are worn. Drinking is not allowed on the dance floor.
• Maximum capacity in sports venues has been increased to 85% outdoors and 75% indoors.
• A mask must be always worn on all public transport. This includes buses, trains, the subway and taxis.

On-Campus Safety Measures

Please continue to follow Suffolk Madrid guidelines, such as: Wear your mask. Maintain at least 1.5 meters of distance between yourself and others. Practice hand hygiene. Monitor your health.

In order to protect the health and wellbeing of our community and guarantee safety on our campus, SUMC health and safety protocols have been reinforced with measures that go beyond current health regulations. Thanks to these measures, we are able to provide classes with minimal disruption to students' academic experience.

These include but are not limited to:

• Mandatory surgical mask-wearing at all times. Cloth masks, plastic visors, or masks made of other synthetic materials are not allowed as the primary facial covering. Masks are available to all students who are not able to provide their own.
• Suffolk University Madrid Campus has provided KN95 masks to all students, staff and faculty to aid in preventing the spread of the virus on the Madrid campus.
• Disinfectant hand gel is available at different points all over campus.
• Regular updates from University administrators to students about current regulations in Madrid and Spain.
• All student activities take place either outdoors or in well-ventilated, socially-distanced venues.
• A contact-tracing team reaches out to every student that tests positive and evaluates their recent social interactions.
• Testing as soon as is feasibly possible when students arrive after international travel.
• Extensive training during Orientation about the risks of COVID-19 and how to prevent the spread.

Previous Suffolk University Madrid Health Advisory Communications by Date

May 12, 2020

Like many areas in Spain and all over the world, the Suffolk Madrid Campus community has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thinking of our community members who have lost loved ones and those who are impacted by this disease.

In responding to COVID-19, Suffolk Madrid Campus has endeavored to make decisions by prioritizing the health and safety of our students and employees, and following the guidelines of the Spanish national and regional health authorities. We successfully moved our campus operations and instruction remotely, and through the hard work of our faculty and staff we have been able to continue our educational mission while working closely with our students to ensure their wellbeing and academic success.

Although there is still uncertainty about when and how we will return to a ‘new normal’, we are confident we will be able to move ahead with the fall 2020 semester with a modified calendar. This new calendar is available on our website and information about the fall semester has been sent to all upcoming Suffolk Madrid students.

Although the current summer 2020 session had been cancelled due to the evolution of the pandemic, the whole Suffolk Madrid community is looking forward to greeting students again in the very near future.

March 10, 2020

Dear Students,

As you know, the regional government of Madrid, Spain announced on March 9th that it will cancel classes in schools and universities for two weeks starting Wednesday March 11th. Suffolk University has made the decision to strongly recommend that all students on the Suffolk University Madrid Campus (SUMC) return to their homes.

The University has decided that SUMC sponsored housing must be vacated by Monday March 16th. Coverage under the University’s security evacuation and travel accident insurance from Drum Cussac will expire on Friday, March 20th. Upon return to the US or after March 20th, whichever comes first, please use your Suffolk student health insurance, which is already active (or alternatively the health insurance plan that you used to waive the Suffolk student health insurance).

We have also made arrangements to ensure that students will be able to continue with their courses and complete the semester remotely. Students will hear directly from their professors after Spring Break (March 22nd) at the latest.

The health and safety of our students and community members remains our highest priority, and we will continue proactively taking steps to ensure that we respond to this situation in the most effective and supportive way.

Sincerely,

Fernando García

March 9, 2020

Dear Members of the Suffolk University Madrid Campus community,

Suffolk University continues to closely monitor developments in the global spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and related public health recommendations and guidelines. Currently, the CDC’s Travel Health Warning for Spain is “Watch Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions.” Based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of State, and international public health organizations, the University has not recommended that students who are currently studying at our Madrid campus in Spain return to the United States. We are, however, closely monitoring what is a very fluid situation, and we will reassess that decision on a daily basis.

Based on public health organization guidance SUMC has decided to ban all student travel to CDC “level 3” countries, including Italy, at this time. If you decide to travel to Italy, Suffolk recommends that you self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you are asymptomatic. You will not be able to access the campus building, the student residence (Galdós), or host family during that time. Suffolk University Counseling, Health & Wellness (CHW) can help you if you have questions and it has prepared a useful guide to self-quarantine that is available upon request.

While we strongly recommend that you limit travel at this time, if you are considering traveling to any other country during the upcoming weekends and spring break, remember to fill out the mandatory ‘Independent Travel Form’ available at the front desk.

Furthermore, after much careful discussion, and given new guidance, the Suffolk University Madrid Campus has made the extraordinarily difficult decision to cancel all outgoing school-sponsored student trips/programs outside of Madrid for the month of March. We will work to minimize the financial losses associated with the last-minute cancellation of these programs and we will reimburse students for SUMC program-related fees. In the next few days students will receive detailed information on how to process these reimbursement requests.

We are also actively developing contingency plans for a variety of scenarios, and we are supporting students who choose to return and will help them manage the academic and financial impact of their change in plans as well.

In the meantime, please continue to follow the advice and news sources at:

• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• European Center for Disease Control (ECDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• STEP
• International SOS (ISOS)

There have been no reported cases of COVID-19 within the Suffolk community. The safety of our students and employees remains our highest priority, and the University continues to take steps to prepare for any needed response. A group of senior leaders and administrators is meeting every day and will constantly monitor and assess the threat that the virus presents to all members of our community, both here in Boston and in Madrid. The University will continue to communicate closely with members of our community and will provide updates, including on the University's Coronavirus Health Advisory webpage.

The Comunidad de Madrid has established a new, dedicated line for COVID-19 concerns at: 900 102 112.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you.

Sincerely,

Fernando García, SUMC Director
[email protected]