Dear community, 

At KAUST, we are now moving to a new and I believe much more hopeful phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This next phase is only possible due to the vigilance of the community, the ongoing adherence to safety restrictions and maximum participation in both the testing and vaccination program over recent weeks and months.

Before moving to this period, we have conducted a survey that shows positive feedback from our community, namely about the measures put in place at KAUST, which has helped strengthen a high feeling of safety. We have also greatly increased asymptomatic testing at KAUST, which shows we continue to maintain a low prevalence of COVID-19 in KAUST. For instance, our third mass testing program in March identified nine positive cases of COVID-19 out of 6330 tested, resulting in a 0.14% positivity rate. This is even lower than the November and January rates of 0.26% and 0.23%.

We also now have over 60% of our community either fully vaccinated or having received their first vaccine dose, along with thousands of our service providers.All of these factors combine to allow us to move ahead to the next phase of Keeping KAUST Safe.

Therefore, from Sunday, May 23, all KAUST employees are expected to return to their office workplace on a full-time basis. In the period between now and May 23, each department and unit of the university is requested to prepare their workspace so that it can accommodate all staff in a safe manner by this date. Employees are asked to use this intervening period to transition from remote and hybrid working back to the office.

We have achieved so much through remote and hybrid working but I believe the collective energy that comes from having a fully active campus once again will help drive us all on over the summer period and coming new semester. Over the last year, we have learned a lot about how we work more flexibly and we are now exploring new remote working policies that take advantage of these lessons but our desire now is to bring the university back together on campus.

We are also now ready to move to Tier 1B in the university’s Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines. This change allows for 1.5 meter physical distancing and an increase in gathering numbers both in the workplace but also socially across the KAUST campus. This increase in capacity is key to allowing for the full return to the workplace in May. These updated Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines are now available online. Furthermore, this welcome change will be proactively explained through a new series of campus-wide signage to be rolled out in the coming weeks. 

As part of the move to Tier 1B, KAUST residents who are partially or fully vaccinated will now be eligible to host personal visitors that are fully vaccinated or with a 48 hours negative COVID-19 PCR test. I appreciate that many of you have been seeking the return to personal visitors and so I hope this relaxation of restrictions is a welcome development for you. I have also asked the HR department to invite employees to participate in a campus survey that I believe will help shape the longer term remote and/or flexible working options at KAUST. I would encourage you to share your thoughts and bring your ideas forward through completion of the survey and I assure you that this will help inform how we consider the future of the workplace post-COVID.

The move to this next phase of more relaxed restrictions will be continuously monitored and we may revise these steps, if required. 

Finally, I want to close by expressing a word of caution. While KAUST is an exceptionally safe place to live and work, it is also vitally important to continue Keeping KAUST Safe during this transition period. We have achieved so much through what has been a truly global challenge. Therefore, as we transition back to normality over the course of the second half of 2021, I hope you will continue to adhere to the KAUST guidelines whilst also enjoying a little more freedom once more.

Thank you,

Tony F. Chan
President
Chair, KC3