If the disease progresses and becomes more widespread, the
danger to the campus community will increase. The Infection Control Working Group has organized its
planning and responses according to the following six action levels. The
progression of these levels may occur rapidly and may be altered due to the nature
of the pandemic outbreak or recommendations of county, state, or federal
authorities. A brief overview of these action levels is provided below, with
more detailed plans by response areas outlined in the sections of this plan
that follow.
This phase is currently underway and continues until there are
substantiated cases of efficient human-to-human transmission in the world. This
is a period to develop and finalize plans for communication, academic and research
interruption, alternative instruction, and class cancellation. Administrative
and student service units will finalize closure protocols, develop guidelines
or policies, and order necessary supplies and plan for their distribution.
During Level 1, the Infection Control Working Group will
meet on a regular basis to review and fine-tune all plans for responding to the
Pandemic Flu outbreak. All University operations will continue as usual, but
more specific steps will be taken to prepare for Level 2. Communication with
the campus community will be initiated and regularly updated to keep everyone
informed of plans being implemented.
Level 2 occurs when there is a case of influenza in the
United States, and at least one of the following:
- The World
Health Organization declaration of Phase 6—Pandemic period: Increased and
sustained transmission of a novel severity 4-5 virus
- Confirmation
of a high rate of infectivity, morbidity (rate of infection) and/or
mortality (death rate)
- Rate/speed
of disease spreading
- Local
public health recommendations to curtail/cancel public activities in the county
or state
- Falling
class attendance
- Students
leaving campus
- Rising
employee absenteeism
- Other
regional/Pac-10 campuses closing
- Transportation
systems closing/curtailing interstate travel
- Cases
in the local Bay Area occurring early in the overall U.S. experience with
the unfolding pandemic
Declaration of Level 2 will be made by the Emergency
Management Team, led by the President or his designee. Social distancing
measures will be initiated, including suspending classes and all other
non-essential campus activities. Dispersal of students from the campus begins. Vaden
Health Center will begin to implement emergency response medical procedures.
Administrative departments, student service units, and academic programs will
begin the process of suspending regular activities and shutting down
non-essential programs and operations. Leave starts for non-required staff;
healthy required staff report for duty.
All University undergraduate residences will close; as soon
as practicable thereafter most non-required administrative offices will suspend
operations and academic teaching buildings will close.
Dining operations will be reduced to support only those students
remaining on campus under emergency need and housed in infirmary care on
campus. Critical research operations (e.g., research animal care, clinical
laboratories will implement emergency plans to maintain critical research
materials. Other laboratory research operations may continue as long as safety
in laboratory operations can be assured or until service support and/or
supplies are no longer available to sustain laboratory operations. Researchers
should be prepared to safely suspend lab operations on short notice. See
Appendix 2B for further information. All non-required administrative and
academic support units will be placed on suspended maintenance levels until the
campus reopens.
This level is characterized by a government-declared
emergency condition affecting the campus. Most campus operations are suspended,
except essential services for infirmary care, temporary emergency shelter
housing for students with extreme hardships, and critical research facilities.
Access to campus may be limited; sustained limited operations are in effect.
Once the primary danger of the flu pandemic has passed, the
campus will re-open. This determination will be made by the Emergency
Management Team, led by the President. As services return to normal, concerns
that arose during the closure will be addressed.
These six levels of response (Level 0 through Recovery)
provide the basis upon which Stanford’s Pandemic Plan is organized. The
following sections elaborate the specific plans that will be implemented in the
identified areas of institutional response: (1) Communications, (2) Academic
and Research Programs, (3) Health Care and Safety, (4) Student Affairs and
Housing and Dining Operations, (5) Administrative Services: Faculty and Staff,
and (6) Facilities, Transportation and Campus Security.
Summary of Stanford’s
Pandemic Action Levels
|
Level
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Recovery
|
|
Human/
Human Trans-mission
|
Limited/
isolated international cases
|
Confirmed international
spread
|
Cases in US AND
Triggering Event
|
Cases spreading in US
|
Government-Declared
Emergency
|
Limited new human cases
|
|
Campus Response
|
-Normal operation -Planning process continues -Implement business continuity practices
|
-Campus open -Planning revisited and refocused -Increased communi-
cation to campus constituents
|
-Suspend classes -Begin student dispersal -Prepare to reduce campus operations -Initiate plans for required support services
|
-Classes suspended -Undergrad students dispersed -Reduce operations across campus -Maintain only critical support services and laboratory
research
|
-Classes suspended -Maintain only critical support services and research -Care for remaining students -Support medical center operations -Support county health initiatives
|
-Recall staff and faculty -Prepare to resume classes -Return to normal operations
|