• In the Information for Employees, the FAQ on acquiring protective equipment has been amended.
• Everyone at the University is asked to take note of the guidelines to ensure accessibility in applying the infection protection measures

New Hygiene and Protection Directive comes into force on 1 October 2020
With the ‘Directive on Hygiene and Protection Measures to Maintain the University’s Operations under Conditions of Coronavirus in the Winter Semester 2020/2021 (Hygiene and Protection Directive)’, the University is implementing hygiene and infection protection measures for the winter semester 2020/21, bringing together the previous regulations and measures. In order to continue to guarantee the most comprehensive protection possible for faculty, students, and staff, only moderate adjustments and additions were made:

• Specifications and adjustments have been made in particular in regard to the already announced limited possibilities for attencance on campus in teaching and examinations, to contact tracing and the handling of suspected and confirmed cases of infection as well as room ventilation requirements.
• In principle, the University is upholding the obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose cover (MNC) in all buildings used by the University. MNCs provide additional protection safeguarding the health of everyone on campus by reducing the likelihood of infection through aerosols. They can also help to ensure that less drastic measures are required for contact persons in the event of infection. However, an exception is made for lecturers in large lecture halls: In teaching rooms centrally allocated by Division 5, lecturers do not have to wear an MNC if they keep a distance of 5 m to students, use a microphone or headset, and stand behind a clear partition attached to the lectern or desk. They are required to clean the desk and the partition after the lecture or seminar.
• Room capacities are reduced due to hygiene and infection protection regulations, and are reserved for face-to-face examinations, classroom teaching, and other events required for official reasons until the end of the winter semester on 31 March 2021 (not until the end of the lecture period on 12 February 2021). Therefore, no rooms can be made available at the University during this period for other face-to-face events (especially with external participants, e.g., conferences, meetings, workshops).
• Working from home will remain the rule until further notice, provided that there are no official concerns speaking against it. Work on campus is permitted to the extent that it is required for official purposes and to the extent that the hygiene and infection prevention measures of the Directive can be ensured. Work on campus is also permitted at the request of employees, if agreed upon with the responsible supervisor and in compliance with the Hygiene and Protection Directive.
• Business trips within Germany can again be authorized by the deans, the managers of central institutions or, for the central administration, the Chancellor. Business trips abroad are still not being authorized. Exceptions are only possible in individual cases after an unavoidable necessity has been demonstrated, and if the destination is not a high-risk area designated by the Robert Koch Institute on departure.
• Furthermore, the concerns of persons who may be affected by a severe course of COVID-19 infection must be taken into consideration. However, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the risk assessment for these groups can only be made individually. Therefore, in cases of doubt, the individual assessment of the risk factors requires a medical assessment in the form of a certificate.
• In addition to the measures taken so far, the university headship urges all faculty, students, and staff to use the Corona-Warn-App of the Federal Government.

The Hygiene and Protection Directive is available here. Additional information, especially regarding the University’s operations, will continue to be announced on this central corona information website.

Under General Information, a PDF-document announcing the UoC's new hygiene and protection regulations that will come into force in October is now available.