To help students cope with the changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare them physically and mentally for the opening of classes, the UP Manila Office of Student Affairs held a webinar, “Bouncing Back and Gearing Up: Navigating and Preparing for Re-Entry.”
Addressing the students online, Chancellor Carmencita Padilla assured the students that her administration is committed to provide an excellent and relevant education amid the crisis through existing and new online learning management platforms, such as the University Virtual Learning Environment and CANVAS. She disclosed that additional budget will be allocated for the purchase of personal protective equipment when students need to see patients. For its part, the Philippine General Hospital has reengineered its wards and developed guidelines for the students and health workers’ safety.
Reminding the students that they are not helpless against COVID-19, the first presenter, DOH Director of Health Promotion and Communication Service Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho reiterated the nature of transmission of the virus and the environment for transmission, touching on the importance of the social determinants of health in advocating behavior change. She shared basic tips on how to keep physically healthy and safe during this pandemic, such as wearing mask, sanitizing hands and frequently touched surfaces, and physical distancing of at least one meter apart. Temperature checks and monitoring of students and staff must be employed upon entry. Schools and workplaces should make it easy for people to report if they are not feeling well.
To address the students’ general concerns and questions, she presented guidelines based on DOH protocols:
On requiring students to sign waivers or subject themselves to testing when in school – Testing is not required but asking them for symptoms during the last 14 days will be a norm. If with the slightest mild symptoms, students will be required to take a leave or self-quarantine.
When commuting to and from school – Follow minimum public standards: disinfecting, washing hands, keeping at least a one meter apart distance, wearing mask, and being mindful of high touch surfaces in the transport; if less than five kilometer distance, biking or walking is recommended.
On group and other activities that make use of physical learning spaces – If necessary to meet in person, limit to 10 participants or consider room size and adhere to minimum public health standards; for classes in multiple classrooms, sanitize the best armchair or other high touch surfaces; avoid loud places as talking over the music or noise entails higher chances to spread droplets; study in well-ventilated spaces and avoid crowds; when in cafeterias and coffee shops, go to well-ventilated areas and in study areas, observe minimum public health standards.
For onsite events – Once shifted to MGCQ, the maximum will be 50 attendees with physical distancing; interviews, screenings or auditions should be online as much as possible but if in person, physical distancing should be observed.
Sports and other physical activities are still being discussed with the Philippine Sports Commission; for now, contact sports are not allowed; physical tryouts, auditions, and practices are allowed with a maximum of ten participants for non-contact sports; competitions are allowed but without audience.
For the second presentation, UP College of Medicine Associate Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Norieta C. Balderrama, dwelled on how mental health impairs the quality and quantity of learning and decision making. She emphasized that one can be resilient or heal and recover from a stressful situation through physical, emotional, social, and spiritual self-care. In making a self-care plan, she stressed the importance of having a partner who will also monitor and look at the preferred strategies to identify what works and what doesn’t when one is overwhelmed.
She presented a ten-point resilience plan: 1) visualizing success, 2) giving themselves credit to boost their self-esteem, 3) enhancing their self-efficacy, 4) becoming more optimistic, 5) managing stress, 6) improving decision-making 7) asking help, 8) dealing with conflict, 9) asking themselves what they have learned for the day, and 10) being themselves. She also shared mindfulness techniques and exercises.
Charmaine Lingdas | Published in Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 12
