Starting up again we carefully seek to meet all challenges posed by the pandemic. This means establishing routines and standards which we now are putting into daily practices.

We are set to minimize the chance of bringing Covid to a campus and a municipality that still has not had anyone infected. We are directed by the general and sector specific guidelines in Norway and have a good dialogue with local and state authorities.

In a few areas we have chosen to be more restrictive than the current advice, with our special setting in mind. Regardless of where they come from, all students are tested for Covid twice, shortly after arrival. Until their last test comes back negatively, they wear a mask. Students coming from ‘red’ zones go into quarantine where they follow another set of rules. They live in separate rooms, get food delivered and attend classes online.

Most of the students are already out of quarantine, but the quarantine routine continues as all students have not yet arrived. In this period, many of us have learned to recognize the smile under the mask.