Coronavirus

Dear students,

we wish you a happy new year, into which we hope you all got off to a good start. We hope you enjoyed the break around the turn of the year.

As we enter 2022, we continue to address the impact of the coronavirus and its highly contagious variants. This fourth wave is once again about how we can shape and protect our togetherness. In this context, there are some updates and notes with regard to teaching and examinations in the current winter semester based on the Corona Protection Ordinance of the state of 3 December 2021 as updated on 30 December 2021.

The most important points here for you at a glance:

• Wearing at least a medical mask makes a significant contribution to minimising the transmission of infections. The current obligation to wear a mask on all routes of communication in the university, in classroom teaching, during examinations and at all student workplaces as well as in the library will therefore remain in place. Exceptions from the mask obligation only exist for persons who are exempted by a medical certificate, during practical sports (teaching) events, during laboratory activities, in music lessons and for lecturers in the respective course/examination, if they keep the distance of at least 1.5 m.
• With regard to teaching, in mid-December 2021 we had recommended to all university lecturers that, due to the high incidence figures, the new virus variant and the upcoming Christmas holidays, they should - where possible - move courses to digital until the end of the winter break (7 January 2022). Due to the still rising incidence figures, the strongly spreading new virus variant and the overall critical pandemic situation, this practice can be continued beyond the winter break until the end of the current lecture period of the winter semester 2021/2022. However, there is still the option of holding courses in attendance, provided that hygiene and safety concepts are adhered to. Your lecturers will inform you accordingly.
• Furthermore, at least the 3G regulation continues to apply to all on-site teaching events. New: Sports events (e.g. university sports and practical sports teaching events outdoors are only permitted for immunised persons (2G rule). For corresponding indoor sporting events, you must also show a negative test result (2G+). For collective singing (e.g. choir or music events) indoors, the 2G+ rule also applies if the wearing of a mask is to be dispensed with.
• For the upcoming examinations of the winter semester, the following applies: These can - if planned by the lecturers - continue to take place in attendance, provided that the hygiene and security concepts (especially 3G control) are observed. In examinations that take place on site, the mask requirement applies. We are convinced that the existing hygiene and safety concepts (e.g. spacing, ventilation, 3G regulation, mask obligation) allow presence examinations.

The fact that the start of the new year continues to be marked by the pandemic is something we had all wished for differently. Nevertheless, we must currently assume that the infection situation will worsen in the coming weeks. We trust that through our individual prudent behaviour we can make a contribution to containing the infection situation as well as possible. 

Stay healthy.

Yours sincerely

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector

Prof. Dr. Birgit Lütje-Klose, Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

 

Due to time constraints, the text was translated using the deepL software.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues, Dear Teachers,

We wish you a happy new year, which we hope you have all started well. We hope that you were able to enjoy the free time around the turn of the year.

As we enter 2022, we continue to address the impact of coronavirus and its highly contagious variants. This fourth wave is once again about how we can shape and protect our togetherness. In this context, there are some updates for working within the University, in particular on the wearing of masks, 3G checkpoints for non-immunised staff and the continued organisation of teaching and examination events in the current winter semester.

The university's organisational directive has been updated accordingly: www.uni-bielefeld.de/corona-verfuegung  (English version to follow)

Here is an overview of the most important points:

• Based on the country's Corona Protection Ordinance of 3 December 2021, as updated on 30 December 2021, in conjunction with the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance, the mask requirement for employees at the University will be extended. Even though many of you currently take advantage of the offer to work in a home office: In some cases, colleagues work in shared offices/workrooms in compliance with the protective measures. Basically, according to the legal regulations, a minimum medical mask (surgical mask) must now be worn indoors as soon as two or more people work together in an indoor space (e.g. office space). This concerns the entire working time and applies regardless of the vaccination status and compliance with the minimum distance. Exceptions apply to persons who are exempted by a medical certificate, when working alone indoors (e.g. in individual office rooms), during practical sports (teaching) events, laboratory activities (if wearing masks creates further hazards e.g. chemical carry-over), music lessons and lecture activities (e.g. lecturers) in courses/examinations, if the distance of at least 1.5m is safely maintained. Furthermore, office rooms may only be entered by colleagues wearing a mask. In offices where only one person is working, masks are not required. In order to avoid aerosol distribution in the corridors, the office door to the corridors must be kept closed.
• At this point, we recommend that you wear an FFP2 mask in the university premises. As before, there are activities where it is compulsory to wear an FFP2 mask. As FFP2 masks are part of the personal protective equipment, special regulations apply here. This applies in particular to the wearing times, the regulations on multiple use, the instruction on specific use as well as the occupational health precautions (further details can be found in the organisational decree under point 10.1.3). Requests for medical masks (OP masks) and FFP2 masks are to be reported collectively via the departments (i.e. faculty, department, institution) to the e-mail address: arbeitssicherheit@uni-bielefeld.de. The distribution of the masks to the employees takes place in the respective areas.
• Of course, the obligation to wear a mask remains in force on all routes within the university and continues to apply in classroom teaching, examinations and at all student workplaces as well as in the library. Wearing a mask at all times also applies to formats such as committee meetings, academic conferences and fairs in presence, where people come together over a longer period of time.

 

• Since the end of November 2021, the legally prescribed so-called 3-G regulation has already been in force in the workplace. In this context, employees of the University who have not been vaccinated or have recovered or who do not wish to provide information about their status must present a negative, certified test result, whereby the rapid antigen test may not be more than 24 hours old (PCR test 48 hours), to the responsible staff at central control points of the University before entering the University buildings. From Monday, 10 January, this will only be possible at the entrance to the main university building (C01). The checkpoint in the X-building will no longer be used.
• For these employees, this means that only this entrance in UHG C01 may be used. If an activity takes place in other university annexes, there is an obligation to present the test certificate at the designated checkpoint in the UHG and only then to enter the annexe. Furthermore, for all employees who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered or who do not wish to disclose their status, the digital test certificate must be sent to the supervisor by email when they start work.

 

• In mid-December 2021, we had recommended to all lecturers with regard to the university's teaching operations that, due to the high incidence figures, the new virus variant and the upcoming Christmas holidays, courses should - where possible - be transferred to digital until the end of the winter break (7 January 2022). Due to the still rising incidence figures, the strongly spreading new virus variant and the overall critical pandemic situation, this practice can be continued beyond the winter break until the end of the current lecture period of the winter semester 2021/2022. However, there is still the option of holding courses in attendance, subject to compliance with hygiene and safety concepts.
• Of course, at least the 3G regulation and the mask requirement will continue to apply to all on-site teaching events. New: Sports events (e.g. university sports) and practical sports teaching events outdoors are only permitted for immunised persons (2G rule). For corresponding indoor sports events, persons must additionally present a negative test result (2G+). For collective singing (e.g. choir or music events) indoors, the 2G+ rule also applies if the wearing of a mask is to be dispensed with.

 

• For the upcoming examinations of the winter semester, the following applies: These can - if so planned - continue to take place in attendance, provided that the hygiene and safety concepts (especially the 3-G control) are observed. For examinations that take place on site, the mask requirement applies. We are convinced that the existing hygiene and safety concepts (e.g. spacing, ventilation, 3-G control, mask obligation) work well, especially for testing operations.
• A note on 3-G control in the lecture-free period: For the few (teaching) events taking place in the lecture-free period (from 7 February 2022) and the examinations, there will no longer be central controls in the lecture halls, the external rooms and the larger seminar rooms or parts of the building with several seminar rooms. The 3G checks for these events will then have to be carried out by the respective lecturers (or appointed persons) themselves, as is already the case in the smaller seminar rooms with up to 35 seats. The central control points will be re-staffed at the start of the lecture period for the 2022 summer semester.

That the start of the new year continues to be dominated by the pandemic is something we had all wished for differently. Nevertheless, we must currently assume that the infection situation will worsen in the coming weeks. We trust that through our individual prudent behaviour we can make a contribution to containing the infection situation as well as possible. 

Stay healthy.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector

Prof. Dr. Birgit Lütje-Klose, Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching

 

Due to time constraints, the text was translated using the deepL software.