Message from Valérie Verdier , President of the IRD: COVID guidelines 19
As I was telling you, this week we exchanged with our MEAE trusteeship. We have been given details that lead me, after discussions with our crisis unit that met on Friday morning, to adjust these measures.
As of this Monday, February 7, I am reopening the possibility of exemptions for travel abroad. However, the ban remains the principle. I will grant derogations on a very exceptional basis and after investigation of the files by the scientific department heads for :
departures on assignment;
departures of international volunteers whose work contract has been concluded;
departures on long-term missions directly related to Covid research;
essential and non-deferrable travel in the European Union.
The first three cases require a travel certificate for "compelling professional reasons that cannot be postponed" (available on the Ministry of the Interior website).
For the exemptions that will have been granted, all the directives set up by the countries concerned and France must be respected.
Thus for entry into French territory, it will be necessary to :
present a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours;
to undergo a 7-day isolation period once in France;
perform a new test at the end of these 7 days.
If these last two instructions do not apply to travelers coming from the European Union, we recommend that all IRD personnel coming from abroad respect them.
Definitive return from assignment or mission remains possible by respecting these directives. Returns for vacations are not authorized.
Given the health situation, all travel is risky. Each time we are asked for an opinion or a decision, we must evaluate these risks: health risks of course, risks to the safety of others which unfortunately remain, but also financial or administrative risks (if, for example, the agent were to find himself in a situation where he could not return to his place of assignment).
Do not hesitate to remind our agents who are required to travel, the need to scrupulously respect all the instructions of the local authorities. It is a question of responsibility, solidarity and health towards everyone. It is also a question of our image.
Moreover, following the press conference of the Prime Minister on Thursday, February 4, and the new announcements on working methods to protect oneself and fight against the spread of the virus, and the circular of the Ministry of Civil Service of February 5, 2021, starting this week :
The possibility of on-site presence is reduced to one day per week for agents whose activity is entirely teleworkable. We know that permanent telework is not without organizational and individual risks. However, while preserving the possibility of on-site presence, it must now be strictly limited.
On-site face-to-face meetings are prohibited unless there is a compelling reason. In this case, they are limited to six people, who must respect the physical distance (2 meters), wear a mask, in a ventilated room...
All this information will be made available to all today, on our Intranet, intranet.ird.fr/info-coronavirus, then distributed via IRD INFO.
The situation is, as you know, difficult, complex, very evolutionary. We must remain very benevolent among ourselves and towards everyone, supporting our agents who remain mobilized and very involved.
The February vacations are starting. It is important that we take a little rest. Rest necessary to continue together and as serenely as possible this year. If 2021 remains uncertain in view of the crisis we are experiencing, it is full of beautiful institutional meetings and very mobilizing challenges for our Institute and our partners.
I am counting on you. I am counting on you.
Take good care of yourself and your loved ones,
Valérie Verdier President and Chief Executive Officer