27 March 2020

Dear Students,

I hope all of you are keeping well despite the challenges that we are currently faced with.

You would be well aware, by now, of the announcement by the Prime Minister of the extension
of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of COVID-19. This extended MCO will
be in effect until Tuesday, 14 April 2020. Prior to this, the Vice Chancellor had made an
announcement for the postponement of the start of the March 2020 semester to 13 April 2020
taking into account the current challenges. There has also been an announcement of an
extended precautionary social distancing period at the University until 31 May 2020 for the
safety and wellbeing of the University community.

In light of these announcements, please be informed that all teaching, learning and
assessments in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events will be delivered and conducted
online based on the attached COVID-19 Contingency Plan. This plan will come into effect from
the start of the new semester, on Monday, 13 April to the end of Week 7 of the semester, on
31 May 2020. Please refer to the COVID-19 Contingency Plan attached as a guide to how
teaching and learning as well as assessments will be done online. Please also refer to your
respective lecturers for each module for the details of the teaching and learning initiatives as
well as conduct of assessments for each module. All module sites on TIMeS are ready for your
reference and follow instructions from your respective lecturers; we will keep improving its
content to ensure a minimal disruption of your learning experience.

We are currently facing unprecedented challenges with COVID-19 which in turn warrants
unprecedented actions to help us overcome the situation safely and effectively. During this
difficult time, whilst all your lecturers will ensure that they do their best to deliver the teaching
and learning initiatives online as effectively as they usually would, I invite all of you to quickly
make all necessary adjustments to this way of learning and to make the best of these initiatives
with the assistance and support of all your lecturers. These initiatives are put in place to ensure
that all of you will be able to continue learning from the comforts and safety of your homes /
accommodation, albeit, online, so that these challenges do not hinder or delay your timely and
due progression with your respective degrees.
Further from this, please also be informed that all school events scheduled for the months of
April, May and June 2020 will be postponed to dates in the August 2020 semester. Again, this is
done for the safety and wellbeing of all our students. Please refer to the details on these
activities in the COVID-19 Contingency Plan attached and further announcements that would
follow in due course.

In light of all these changes and decisions made, I will make myself available to address and
respond to your concerns. As well, we will be able to conduct online engagement session by
providing e-meeting in order to communicate directly and accurately. You may use this
opportunity to raise any questions that you have regarding the coming semester and I will be
happy to address them and allay any concerns that you may have before the start of the
semester.

I wish you all the best for the start of the semester on 13 April 2020 and welcome you warmly
into the semester time. Please be rest assured that the academic team and I have your best
interest in mind, and we hope that you will stay resilient, strong and positive during this difficult
time as we try our best to support your learning.

Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to contact any of your respective Programme Directors, Dr
Ruth Sabina Francis or Ms Lisa Tung, or myself if you need any clarification or further
information on the matters mentioned above.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Joaquim Dias Soeiro

Head of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events