Archive for October, 2020
Dining Halls Still Open for Students and University Employees
Due to the new Corona-Schutzverordnung (Coronavirus Protection Ordinance) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the dining halls will only be open to students and university employees from Monday, November 2. According to the Protection Ordinance dated October 30, company canteens and dining halls in educational institutions may continue to operate in order to provide meals for employees or users of said institutions. Studierendenwerk will therefore check customers’ ID at the entrance. Students and university employees must therefore make sure they bring along their work or student ID to prove their university affiliation. If necessary, you can apply for a work ID at Department 5.1. The application form can be found here: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/orga/hochschulausweis.
The seating area in the dining halls are still open for now.
University Sport to Suspend Operations – Sports Facilities Closed – Running Tracks Remain Open
Due to the recent surge in incidences of COVID-19 in Aachen and the region and the new regulations put in place by the respective authorities, further measures are being implemented to contain the spread of coronavirus and to ease the burden on the health care system. All sports operations, including subscription operations, sports facility rental and leasing will be discontinued as of Monday, November 2, 2020. All offers of the University Sports Center (HSZ) are affected without exception, regardless of whether they take place in university, municipal or external partner facilities.
The running tracks on Königshügel, including the Finnbahn track, will remain open for the time being. Please note that according to the Coronavirus Protection Ordinance, only a maximum of two people may train together.
“We very much regret that we have to suspend all sports activities at RWTH and close our sports facilities. We very much hope that we will be able to resume our sports programs in December,” said Peter Lynen, head of Aachen University Sports. All sports halls, the cage football facilities, the all-weather pitch, the natural grass pitch, the outdoor fitness facilities, the RWTH gym, the sauna, as well as the changing rooms and sanitary facilities will be closed.
The date for resuming operations and the start of registration for the 2020/21 winter semester will depend on future developments and will be communicated on the HSZ website at short notice. In November, the service point can only be reached by telephone, e-mail or by arrangement.
These measures are based on the ordinances of the Federal Ministry of Health, the regulations of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and those put in place by the crisis management teams of RWTH Aachen University and the Städteregion Aachen.
University Library Study Spaces Close on Saturday
Due to the recent surge in incidences of COVID-19 in Aachen and the Städteregion, the Rectorate, in consultation with the Crisis Management Team, has decided to close all study spaces at RWTH. This includes the study spaces in the University Library. They will be closed as of Saturday, October 31. The other service offerings of the University Library will continue to be available.
Studierendenwerk – Online Information Week
At the beginning of November, Studierendenwerk Aachen will host a number of online information sessions to introduce students to its broad range of services. Between November 2 and 6, interested students can ask their questions via live chat on Instagram.
The chat sessions will take place at 2 pm as follows:
Monday, November 2: BAföG Loans (Federal Education and Training Assistance)/Financing Your Studies
Tuesday, November 3: Campus Dining
Wednesday, November 4: Student Housing/Accommodation
Thursday, November 5: Childcare Services
The Information Week will end on November 6 with a competition for beginning students. Questions can be submitted in advance via the Studierendenwerk Instagram Channel: @studierenwerkaachen
Further information: Digital Information Week
Updated Guidelines on Teaching, Learning and Exams
The Guidelines on Exams, Courses, and Exam Reviews and on Holding Excursions have now been updated to meet the requirements of the current situation:
No Public Events on RWTH Premises
The RWTH Crisis Management Team has announced that public events such as conferences, cultural offers as well as third party events may no longer be held on RWTH premises as of Saturday, October 31, 2020. These and other restrictions shall be lifted again as soon as the rate of infection in the City of Aachen and Städteregion Aachen has fallen below 150 in a one-week period. The announcements of the City of Aachen and Städteregion Aachen provide the basis for these measures. We will keep you up to date with any changes to the current situation.
Study Spaces Will be Closed from Saturday
Due to the recent surge in incidences of COVID-19 in Aachen and the Städteregion, RWTH’s study spaces will be closed from Saturday, October 31, 2020. The RWTH’s crisis management team has also announced that exam review sessions will be increasingly held online. If a digital format cannot be offered, centrally managed rooms are to be requested for exam review sessions.
Current Regulations on Travel
On the basis of the legal specifications and out of concern for all University members, University Management, in consultation with the Crisis Management Team of RWTH Aachen University, has agreed upon the following regulations regarding travel: As soon as anyone exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, they are expressly prohibited from entering the RWTH premises.
Incidences of COVID-19 diseases have already occurred in our RWTH community. Up to now, large-scale quarantine of contact persons could be avoided because the infected individuals had diligently followed the rules about hygiene and avoiding contact with others.
Business trips for employees:
We will not approve any business trips to risk areas* at present. If employees on a business trip return from a country that is classified as a risk area* while they are still on their trip, the requirements of the Coronaeinreiseverordnung (Coronavirus Entry Ordinance (CoronaEinrVO)) apply with regard to the reporting obligations and quarantine regulations.
Employees may still go on business trips within Germany. These trips should, however, be kept to an absolute minimum. Instead, virtual formats should be used wherever possible. Public transportation and airplanes should not be used if this can be avoided. RWTH urges employees to use rental cars or their own vehicle for business trips instead. Requirements at the destination, possibly imposed as as consequence of the infection rate at the individual’s place of residence, must be observed.
Private travel by employees:
The Crisis Management Team urgently appeals to all employees to refrain from personal travel when it is not absolutely necessary. If, however, employees do go on a trip to a risk area,* the respective superiors should be informed in advance so that work arrangements can be planned ahead of time. If travelers return from a risk area,* the requirements of the CoronaEinrVO apply with regard to the reporting obligations and quarantine regulations.
Stays in the Netherlands-Belgium-Germany border region (particularly for commuters)
Individuals spending up to 24 hours in the Netherlands or Belgium will not be subject to a ban on entering the RWTH for now.
Likewise, individuals who have spent time or who reside in the Netherlands or Belgium and then enter Germany for a maximum of 24 hours will be allowed to enter the RWTH premises. In addition, individuals from a risk area who are required to come to the University on a daily basis or for up to five days at a time for activities related to their training or studies that cannot be postponed may enter the RWTH premises.
Rules for commuters, guests, visitors, service providers, contractors from risk areas:*
Individuals from a risk area who are required to come to the University on a daily basis or for up to five days at a time for activities related to their training or studies that cannot be postponed may enter the RWTH premises.
The Crisis Management Team strongly recommends refraining from in-person meetings and switching to video conferencing formats or the like. If guests etc. arrive from risk areas,* the host institution must inform them of the obligation to register with the responsible health department (usually that of Städteregion Aachen).
Regulation for students coming from risk areas:
Students who only come to Germany for up to 5 days in order to complete or prepare for their exams are not required to quarantine but must report to the public health department, according to §3 para. 4 no. 5 CoronaEinrVO. However, any students who arrive in Germany and stay for longer than 5 days must go into a 14-day quarantine period. As soon as the quarantine period is over, students may attend any in-person courses and take exams at RWTH again. We ask host institutions to inform students about the reporting obligations and quarantine regulations. For some individual students from risk areas,* supervision of the written exam can be offered via Zoom. The Examination Boards have already received detailed information regarding this option.
Useful links:
Städteregion Aachen registration form for border commuters
Risk areas according to the RKI
(Risk areas as established by the Robert Koch Institute [see link above]. These are only areas outside Germany. There are no risk areas within Germany according to the CoronaEinrVO.)
Adapted Regulations for Contact Tracing and Further Measures at RWTH
The immense workload the municipal health departments are dealing with now due to the large number of recent coronavirus infections has resulted, in many cases, in delays in the departments’ contact tracing efforts. For this reason, all RWTH members who have been classified as category 1 contact persons (see also the RKI web page on Kontaktpersonen-Nachverfolgung bei Infektionen durch SARS-CoV-2) are not permitted to enter the RWTH premises for the duration of the usual quarantine period. All RWTH employees concerned shall work from home during this period. If you are uncertain about whether you may be classified as a category 1 contact person, the University Medical Center will be happy to advise you in this regard.
Furthermore, you should also get in touch with the local health department.
Important note for employees and students living in the district of Heinsberg: The local health department no longer issues quarantine orders for category 1 contact persons in all cases. If there is reliable information, however, that employees and students are to be classified as category 1 contact persons, they are not permitted to enter the RWTH premises for the usual quarantine period. All employees concerned are asked to work from home office during this period.If there are any uncertainties regarding the classification as a category 1 contact person, the University Medical Center will be happy to advise you.
Updated Regulations for Working from Home
Out of concern for all university members, University management, in consultation with the Crisis Management Team of RWTH Aachen University, has agreed to put further regulations in place. In light of the recent surge in incidences of COVID-19 in Germany, we must strive to keep the risk of infection at RWTH as low as possible, while still ensuring that the university can continue to operate. Limited face-to-face contact between employees can be achieved in the following manner:
- All employees (including student and research assistants) for whom the type of work makes it possible are to be allowed to work remotely from home. If employees request to work from home, this must be approved for work that can be carried out at home.
- Work on campus is only allowed at workplaces that have been approved in minimizing the risk of COVID-19 infection (risk assessment). The Occupational and Radiation Protection Staff Unit and the University Medical Center will be happy to assist you with any technical questions you might have about preparing a risk assessment.
- For those employees who do come to work on campus (including student and research assistants), as few of them as possible should be in the buildings/rooms at the same time to avoid any unnecessary face-to-face contact. Employees and their superiors can arrange flexible working hours for any period between 6 am and 8 pm.
- Combinations of working from home and on campus are possible. For example, work that must be carried out in person on campus could be accomplished in the morning and other tasks could be worked on at home in the afternoon.