Coronavirus COVID-19

National situation

Until Friday, February 28th, the goal  at stage 1 of the epidemic was to slow down the introduction of the virus into the country.
Since the decision to move to stage 2 wastaken, following the identification of virus circulation areas in the country called "clusters", the goal now is   to stop the spread of the virus in France. Consequently, the measures specific to stage 1 have been dropped and new specific measures to this new stage have been decided.

Please find below the decisions taken in this exceptional context.

Cluster guidelines

The "cluster" is an area where the virus is actively circulating (at least two cases at the same time, in the same place). In the current state of information as communicated by the government, two clusters have been identified :

• In Oise: Creil, Crépy en Valois, Vaumoise, Lamorlaye and Lagny le Sec
• In Haute-Savoie: La Balme

As the School is not currently located in a cluster, there is no reason to close the establishment. This closure could only be pronounced after a decision by the Prefect of the Department upon notification by the Regional Health Agency in accordance with the daily epidemiological elements.

However, students and staff living in clusters should observe the following recommendations for people living in these areas. We have asked the HR department (for staff) and the Students affairs department in connection with the departments (for students) to contact the individuals living in these clusters and to ask to kindly remain at home as long as the ministerial instructions arein effect.

As for students, we rely on the departments and  classmates to set up ways of information and courses in their absence, as  needed.

Return Travel Guidelines

As the virus is already circulating in our country, there is no longer any reason not to welcome in our establishments people returning from foreign countries where the virus is circulating (except the Chinese province of Hubei).
Students and staff of higher education institutions and research organizations returning from foreign countries where the virus is circulating (except Hubei region of China) may return to their institutions but are invited to slow down their social life and to monitor themselves (taking their temperature twice a day).

Travel instructions

Missions abroad, as well as personal travel, outside the European Union or at risk areas in Europe should be postponed as much as possible, except in case of proven need. Please provide any request for mission orders with supporting documentation on the necessity of this travel and give priority to the use of video or audio conferences as much as possible.

Following various queries and on the basis of the latest recommendations of the authorities, all training courses planned outside the European Union and in areas of active virus circulation* within the EU, are postponed until further notice.  In addition to questions of contamination, we have to take medical care and more complex medical evacuations from outside the European Union into consideration.

In this context, with regards to students who have given up their mobility project outside the European Union or in high-risk areas in Europe, the Vice-President for Education asks the pedagogical teams, the Registry and Student Affairs Department (DSVE) and the International Relations Department (SRI) to provide increased support to implement alternatives (for example in laboratories at the School, at the Université Paris-Saclay, in the Paris region or more generally outside high-risk areas in France).

Regarding all the staff of the school, professional missions outside the EU and in areas of active traffic* have been placed on hold, except in cases of absolute necessity (supporting documentation has to be provided and attached to the request for a mission order).

At the present time, it is not possible to anticipate the end of the current measures.

As a reminder : https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus

* identified on

For more information, you can refer to the website.

This message draws on the instructions sent on March 1rst, by the ministry's security and defence official to all heads of establishments and security and defence officials.