CORONAVIRUS The 2021 summer semester will also be for the most part digital
Lectures will continue mostly online during a flexible hybrid semester. Voluntary self-tests should provide additional protection for in-person courses.
Due to the ongoing dynamic infection rate and the as yet unforeseeable effect of vaccinations, there is currently no reliable prospect of more access to the university and more in-person courses at RUB. For this reason, the RUB Rectorate has decided that the current conditions will also apply to the coming summer semester – i.e. it will be for the most part a digital and flexible hybrid semester. This is also necessary to give students and lecturers sufficient time to plan ahead.
The resolutions passed by the Rectorate apply to the lecture period of the summer semester until 23 July 2021 – this applies not only to lectures and courses but also to excursions and business trips. Exceptions have to be specifically authorised.
Added protection through self-testing
In addition, the Rectorate has decided that self-testing will be available in the faculties and departments. “The RUB’s testing strategy is based on voluntary participation. This requires a high level of personal responsibility on the part of all people on campus,” says Chancellor Dr. Christina Reinhardt. “Therefore, the university management appeals to each and every individual to accept the testing opportunities offered by the university and to act responsibly if they suspect a possible Covid-19 infection. This means not coming to campus and having the result immediately verified with a PCR test.”
These tests can help to reduce the number of infected people and, consequently, the risk of transmission, thus making encounters on campus safer. Covid-19 self-tests, which RUB will procure in sufficiently large quantities, are meant to provide additional protection if in-person courses are required. Even with the tests, all hygiene rules still apply and all current protective measures must be followed.
Procurement is in progress, and the tests should be available for the start of the semester in the week beginning 12 April 2021. Distribution will be decentralised via the faculties.
Self-testing should take place in the following areas in order to jointly attempt to contain the pandemic:
- approved courses and exams that must necessarily take place in person, for example lab internships in the natural sciences and engineering as well as internships in medicine. Self-tests should be taken on each day of the internship before starting work.
- (committee) meetings that have to take place in person – especially if vulnerable persons participate, e.g. people over a certain age or patients with chronic pre-existing conditions
- in the case of compulsory business trips
- training courses, for example first aid courses for first responders at RUB that have to be attended in person and require practical exercises in close contact with other people
The exact regulations on how the tests will be distributed and used will be announced in good time through the relevant channels, for example in the coronavirus FAQ and in the RUB service portal.
Vaccination strategy: Task force has been set up
In the medium term and when sufficient vaccine is available, company doctors are to carry out vaccinations in addition to general practitioners. The RUB Chancellor has set up a task force for this purpose, which includes the university doctor, the HR director, the central event management and representatives of the Faculty of Medicine. The group will develop a concept for vaccinations of RUB employees by the university medical service.