Dublin Business School (DBS), Ireland has adopted several measures to ensure safety of its incoming students for the academic year 2020-21. A few frequently asked questions by the students have been answered:
Can I apply for a student visa at present?
Yes, Irish Visa Offices are now taking applications.
What will teaching look like for the Academic Year 2020/21 at Dublin Business School?
DBS aims to give you the best possible campus and blended learning experience . All classes for 2020/21 will be taught on a hybrid learning basis. This means you will be on campus for some classes and other classes will be online. Your timetable will be available once you register for the programme in due course and will advise you of which classes are on campus and which classes will be taken online.
Our objective is for every student to have as much classroom teaching as possible. The amount of classroom teaching for any individual student is dependent upon how many other students are in the class. On average we expect that while a 2-metre social distance requirement is in place for Colleges and Universities, a student will spend approximately one-third of their time in the classroom and the remainder online. As the social distance protocol is reduced below 2 metres, more students can be in a classroom at the one time and therefore you will be spending more time on campus and less time online. When you get your timetable it will show how much time will be on campus and how much will be online. The timetable for the new academic year is built on the principle that First-year students and Award or Final year students will have more time on campus than others. However, the volumes of students in a particular class is the main factor that will contribute to the amount of time on-campus versus online.
All student services such as Career and Library Services, Student Welfare and Academic Support will still be fully available to all students. All of these support services are being reformatted for the new academic year so as students can access them online as well as on campus. Details of these will be available at your induction to the College and your course. We are also planning to run our Clubs and Societies as normal in the new academic year. All meetings will need to follow Irish public health advice for gatherings. Events such as sports training, competitions and social trips are planned to take place in accordance with public health guidance. Each event will require a COVID-19 risk assessment to be done and our Student Experience team will help with this.
Can I travel to Ireland at this time?
As of 22 July, Ireland’s borders remain open and there are no additional restrictions on travel to Ireland. However, the Irish Health Authorities require anyone coming into Ireland, apart from Northern Ireland, to complete a Public Health Passenger Locator Form on arrival and to restrict your movements for 14 days. Special packages for DBS students are being negotiated for a reasonable cost with our accommodation partner and will be communicated to you in due course.
Although Ireland is a member of the European Union (EU), the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU have not been adopted by Ireland. The Irish Government has also now published a “green list” of countries, which will be updated every two weeks. Anyone travelling from a green list country will not be required to restrict their movements on arrival in Ireland. Whether your country is mentioned on the green list or not this should not stop you from applying for a visa. The green list does not pertain to entry restriction. It only pertains to self restriction once entered the country.
At 22 July, the Irish Government has advised that it is continuing with plans to strengthen the existing measures for monitoring passengers who arrive into Ireland, including the introduction of an Electronic Passenger Locator Form, enhanced follow-up procedures, a call centre, and a proposed testing regime for symptomatic passengers at airports and ports.
Note: This advice is subject to change at short notice and we will update accordingly.
What will happen when I arrive in Ireland?
At present, the Irish Health Authorities require anyone coming into Ireland, apart from Northern Ireland, to complete a Public Health Passenger Locator Form on arrival and to restrict your movements for 14 days. Please check the Irish Health Service COVID-19 Advice Page for full information on these requirements. Bearing in mind that advice may change at short notice, you should check to ensure you have the latest information. We recommend that you take the restricted movement period into consideration for booking travel and accommodation. While you are in Ireland, you are required to follow the public health advice as listed below. You should:
- wash your hands regularly and thoroughly – especially after you have been out and about or in and out of other people’s homes or businesses
- observe good cough and sneeze etiquette
- maintain social distancing – keep 2 metres apart from people
- avoid crowded places as much as possible – leave a location if social distancing becomes difficult
- wear a face covering if you are using public transport. This is the law – you may be fined or refused entry if you don’t wear one
- only use public transport for essential journeys – walk or cycle instead, if you can
- wear a face covering if you are in a public place like in shops or in shopping centres. This is the law.
- wear a face covering when visiting people aged 70 or over, or other vulnerable people – be sure to practice social distancing for their safety
- for the first 2 weeks in Ireland you will be required to ‘restrict your movement’. During this period you will be permitted to leave your residence to complete day-to-day tasks such as shopping and exercise.
- Install the COVID Tracker app. The COVID Tracker app can alert you if you have come into close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
What if I can’t travel in advance of the start date?
In the event you can’t make the start of the classes we recommend that you commence all classes online. You will need to be fully registered on your programme to do this. Then when you arrive in Ireland you will be able to commence your blended learning experience. Please note prior permission for the same is required and it will be reviewed case by case basis and be granted in exceptional Covid 19 related circumstances. We strictly recommend that you plan to get to Ireland a minimum of 14 to 17 days before the start date of your classes. Of course, we recognise that this may not be possible for everyone so in those circumstances you must start your course online and you are expected to attend all your online classes at the scheduled time. You can arrive in Ireland any time after that but we recommend you do not delay or postpone your arrival by any longer than two weeks from the course start date. Please note prior permission for the same is required and it will be reviewed case by case basis.
If I contract the Covid-19 Virus can/should I travel to Ireland?
No, in such cases you should not travel and follow local health advisories and seek medical assistance.