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NIS Campus Access Policy

For all eligible visitors, staff and students

(Last Updated Oct. 3, 2022)

 

We ask that everyone in our community read this Campus Access Policy carefully. All those wishing to access campus must follow the policy. We ask that you make your own judgments (or consult with your doctor) about how and when accessing campus is allowed, in line with this policy.

Access to Campus

All eligible community members (as defined by the schools current COVID Response Level - see HERE for current level, and read HERE for detailed information on all levels) may access the NIS campus provided that:

  • the person is not diagnosed with COVID (if the person is diagnosed with COVID, see (1) below)
  • the person is not a close contact of a COVID-case (if the person is a close contact, see (2) below)
  • the person is not experiencing any possible COVID symptoms (if the person is experiencing COVID symptoms, see (3) below)
  • the person is not sharing the same household with (or in any other similar close living arrangement with) anyone who is experiencing any possible COVID symptoms (if the person is sharing the same household or similar close living arrangements, see (4) below)

 

What Are COVID Symptoms?

To understand this policy, you need to know the category of symptoms. Categories of symptoms fall into three groups as follows:

 

 

Accessing Campus When Impacted By COVID

 


(1) If the person wishing to attend campus has a COVID diagnosis


Asymptomatic Diagnosis

If the person is asymptomatic but diagnosed with COVID (either by a doctor/clinic or through a home self-antigen test),

  • access to campus is permitted either on the date instructed by your doctor, OR
  • if a doctor is not consulted (or the doctor declines to give an opinion), access to campus is permitted on Day 8 (Day 0 is the day of the positive test result).
EXAMPLE: You test positive on Dec 31 (Day 0); You need to stay home in isolation for seven full days (January 1-7), then you can come to NIS from January 8 (Day 8)

OR

  • If the person has a negative test result (antigen or PCR) on Day 5, the person can return to campus from Day 6

 

Symptomatic Diagnosis

If the person experiences any symptoms in any of the A-C Symptom Categories above AND is diagnosed with COVID either by a doctor/clinic or through a home self-antigen test, access to campus is permitted either on the date instructed by your doctor,  OR, if no doctor is consulted (or the doctor declines to give an opinion), isolation can end when BOTH of the below apply:

  • From Day 8 (counting the first day of symptoms or the day of the positive test result in the case that the date of first symptoms is uncertain as Day 0)  AND
  • The person has been free of fever/serious symptoms without fever-reducing medication for ONE full day
EXAMPLE: You get symptoms on Dec 31 (Day 0); You need to stay home in isolation for seven full days (January 1-7), and then you can come to NIS from January 8 (Day 8) provided that you were free of fever/serious symptoms on Jan. 7

 

EXCEPTION: Please note that if the person was admitted to hospital, access to campus cannot be before day 11, provided that days 8/9/10 were free of fever/severe symptoms and without the use of fever-reducing medication. 

 


(2) If the person wishing to enter campus is a close contact of someone diagnosed with COVID


NIS community members are advised to consult the public health department to determine possible close contact status.

The current criteria in Japan for being designated as a close contact are as follows:

  • You have lived together or spent long periods of contact (in home or a vehicle) with the person diagnosed with COVID;
  • You are likely to have touched something that has been contaminated by viral particles present in the coughs, sneezes or bodily fluids of the patient;
  • You have been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID for more than 15 minutes within a distance of 1 meter without necessary preventive measures (masks and ventilation)

Note that you can be a close contact from:

  • Two full days PRIOR to symptoms appearing (OR two full days before a positive test result in the case of an asymptomatic patient).
  • Until the last day of isolation for the infected person
EXAMPLE: If the infected person experiences symptoms (or tests positive in the case of an asymptomatic infection) on Wednesday, then you will be a close contact if you were with the person any time from the previous Monday until the day that they are permitted to exit isolation


If you are a close contact, you should remain at home in quarantine. You can exit quarantine (and be at school) as follows:

  • From Day 6 (when the last date of close contact with the infected person is Day 0)
EXAMPLE: You last have close contact with the person on Tuesday (Day 0) and you quarantine at home for Days 1-5 (Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) so you can come to campus from Monday

    OR

  • From Day 3 (when the last date of close contact with the infected person is Day 0, and you test negative with an antigen test on Day 2 and Day 3 at least 24 hours apart)
EXAMPLE: you last have close contact with the person on Tuesday (Day 0) and stay at home on Wednesday (Day 1). On Thursday morning at 7:00 am (Day 2) you take an antigen test and it is negative. Twenty-four hours later on Friday morning at 7am (Day 3) you take an antigen test and it is negative. You can come to school immediately because both tests were negative. Note that the school asks you to use a quality government-approved antigen test available from a pharmacy.

 

Note:
  • If you test positive at any time during your quarantine you should now treat your situation as a positive case (see (1) above)
  • If you start to experience symptoms at any time during your quarantine you should now treat your situation as an undiagnosed symptomatic case (see (3) below)
 

*Special condition for those living in the same household as the person diagnosed with COVID:

  • If you can separate in the home: If the healthy close contact and COVID+ person are able to completely separate in the home (i.e. not eating, sleeping or socializing together, masks always worn, good ventilation is always maintained, and towels or other surfaces are not shared) then the quarantine period of the close-contact person can run at the same time as the isolation period of the infected person .
  • If you can NOT separate in the home: If complete separation in the home is NOT possible (shared eating/sleeping/living spaces and shared surfaces/items) then Day 0 of the quarantine (for the healthy person) is the LAST DAY of the isolation period for the COVID+ person.

 


(3) If the person wishing to attend campus has symptoms but does not (yet) have a COVID diagnosis


The policy varies depending on the category of symptoms (see symptom categories at the top of this document above). The symptomatic person can return to school according to the below chart:


**Note: In the case that the person wishing to attend campus has recovered from a positive covid diagnosis within the past 90 days and symptoms are mild then no test is required to come to school on the first day without symptoms in the case of Category A symptoms

 

 


(4) When the person wishing to attend campus is sharing the same household with (or in any other similar close living arrangement with) anyone who is experiencing any possible COVID symptoms (but who does not yet have a COVID diagnosis)


The policy varies depending on the category of symptoms (see the A-C Symptom Categories at the top of this document above). The healthy person living in the same household as the symptomatic person can return to school as shown below:

 

 

Communicating in the case of Infection or Close Contact

We ask that parents read this campus access policy carefully and make your own judgments (or consult with your doctor) about the correct return date for your children.

In the case that your child is found to be a close contact by the school, we will inform you of the date of your child’s return. However, in all other cases we ask families to read the policy carefully and make the decision that is the best fit for your circumstance.

Please alert NIS (covidteam@nis.ac.jp)  immediately in the case that:

  • Any household member is diagnosed (either by a clinic/doctor or through a home self-test antigen test) with COVID
  • Any household member is confirmed (with or without the official designation of the public health office) as a close contact

 

 

 

Setting a Return to School Date & Documents Required to Return to School

In order to ease the burden on families and the Japanese healthcare system, a doctor's note is not required to return to campus for covid-related absences EXCEPT in the case that this is specified in the policy above. If a doctors note is required please ensure this is sent to academicoffice@nis.ac.jp on or before the date of return.

In the case that an antigen test is used to gain access to campus then the proof of the negative test must be provided. Place the completed negative test on a piece of paper clearly marked with your child’s name and class and the date and time of the test. Take a picture of the test and send to academicoffice@nis.ac.jp on or before the date of return. Please use a quality government-approved antigen test available from a pharmacy.

 

Quarantine Learning

In the case the campus access policy prevents a child from attending school for more than three days then they can be enrolled for quarantine learning. See HERE for details about our Quarantine Learning Program.