Beppu, Oita Pref. ¨C How will the pandemic affect universities? How will they metamorphose as they go through the COVID-19 period and then the time after it¡¯s over?
I define the COVID-19 period as the time before vaccines and drugs are developed to combat the new coronavirus. This is the time when the ¡°new normal¡± of wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distances are required to avoid infection in the ¡°Three Cs¡± environment: closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded and close-contact settings. In the period that follows, COVID-19 will become an ordinary infectious disease that can be combated by vaccines and drugs, like influenza.
At Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), where I serve as president, all the classes during the first half of this school year (April-September) are being held online using the Zoom video-conferencing system.
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