The COVID-19 pandemic has given our university operational and fiscal challenges, to say nothing of the emotional and mental distress it has given us.

At this difficult time, I want to take a moment to thank everyone for the part you have played in the university’s response to the pandemic.

I am grateful for your flexibility and resilience that made the transition to the ‘new normal’ manageable -- from terminating the semester early, cancelling the commencement exercises and other events, to moving vital research activities to limited operation. read more >>

To control and contain the impact of COVID-19 in the campus, it is important for MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology to plan ahead, especially for a scenario where the outbreak worsens. Lack of continuity planning can result in a cascade of failures as the University attempts to address challenges of COVID-19 with insufficient resources and workers who might not be adequately trained to perform their tasks under pandemic conditions.

The Office of the Chancellor, Office of Public Information, and the MSU-IIT COVID-19 Task Force developed this COVID-19 manual based on traditional infection prevention, industrial hygiene practices, and the recommendations of the WHO. It focuses on the need for the University to implement engineering, administrative, and work practice controls, as well as considerations for doing so.

This guide is intended for planning purposes. The University and its constituents should use this manual to help identify risk levels in the various offices, cost centers, laboratories, and other facilities, and to determine any appropriate control measures to implement. Additional guidance may be needed as COVID-19 outbreak conditions change, including new information about the virus, its transmission and impacts, become available.

The MSU-IIT COVID-19 Task Force, through the Office of Public Information provides the latest information about the COVID-19 outbreak. The MSU-IIT COVID-19 webpage offers information specifically for the University’s employees: https://coronavirus.msuiit.edu.ph/.

This manual contains recommendations, as well as descriptions of mandatory health and safety standards in the campus. The recommendations shall be advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employees in providing a safe and healthful workplace inside the campus during this pandemic.

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act of the Philippines (R.A. No. 11058) requires employers, through its Section 4(a)(1), to provide their employees with a workplace free from hazardous conditions that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.