Coronavirus (Covid-19): current information for members of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences

The university management regularly informs students, lecturers and staff via email about the current situation and how to proceed.

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

The teaching company is i. a. maintain online.
From May 11th, 2020, practical courses and exams will be possible to a limited extent.
It is our goal that the exams take place at the end of the semester as planned.
The examination period is extended until July 18, 2020.

Since a few practical courses are planned from May 11, 2020 and more people must be expected to attend the university, a mask requirement applies when moving in the buildings on the university grounds from May 11, 2020. This rule is to be seen in connection with and compliance with the existing general distance rule of at least 1.50 meters between people meeting each other. The following information:
 

• Wear a face mask in all situations where a distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained.
• Wear a face mask in all waiting areas (library etc.) that are located directly in front of the building entrances.
• It is not necessary to wear a face mask when moving on outside surfaces (forecourt of the refectory, park in Haste, parking lots, etc.) in compliance with the distance rule.
• It is not necessary to wear it during physical work on test areas and the like in the open, observing the distance rule.
• Please note the detailed framework conditions for internships and instrument lessons as well as exams, which are already defined on this page.
• Also note the hygiene rules for internships and on-site instruction shown on this page.

All research activities are maintained at its own discretion. The recommendations of the RKI for increased hygiene and keeping people apart should be applied. Please avoid group meetings. Follow the same procedure as for all application procedures in online mode.

The general hygiene rules of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences also apply here.

The cafeterias and cafeterias of the Studentenwerk Osnabrück in Osnabrück and Lingen remain closed until further notice.

A to-go offer has been set up at the Westerberg and Schlossgarten refectory.

Current information from the Studentenwerk Osnabrück 

It is not yet clear whether and when summer sports courses can start. The university sports team provides information about further developments at www.zfh.uni-osnabrueck.de.

Events outside of teaching are not permitted until August 31, 2020 on the grounds of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
The university public will be informed of changes in good time.

The following hygiene standards must be observed when attending face-to-face interviews in selection and appointment procedures:

• Each person sits at their own table during the conversation.
• Before the conversation there is the possibility of hand disinfection.
• There must be a minimum distance of 2 meters from the center of the chair to the center of the chair.
• The room size is to be selected so that at least 10 m² of space is available for each person.
• The room must be well ventilated (air conditioning or at least 10 minutes after each conversation).
• When traveling to the university campus, the applicable official contact restrictions and hygiene regulations must be observed. Participation with flu symptoms (elevated temperature) is prohibited.
• The buildings remain closed. External members and applicants must be accompanied in and out.
• A suitable waiting area will be set up. Waiting people keep a minimum distance of 2.0 m.
• All people wear a mouth / nose guard until they are seated in their place. This may be removed during the conversation. Simple, if necessary self-made protection is sufficient.
• Sneeze and cough hygiene (in the crook of the arm or in a tissue) must be observed.
• Common contact surfaces are disinfected after every conversation.

If you have any technical questions, the ServiceDesk staff will be happy to help you.

The current dispositions in the corona crisis enable the universities carry out practical courses in compliance with the relevant hygiene regulations, provided that these require special laboratory and work rooms. On this basis, the university will already be on April 8th. Now follow the published "Teaching and Exam Scenario with Restricted Presence".

The general, binding framework conditions for the planning and implementation of laboratory internships and projects in attendance, which must be observed in the faculties and the Institute for Music, supplemented with information and recommendations can be found on the intranet.

The hygiene standards listed below are based on the legally binding "Lower Saxony Ordinance for the Protection of New Infections with the Corona Virus" dated April 17, 2020. They are to be observed by everyone during the implementation of the courses and included in the safety instructions for students and staff:

• All people wear mouth-nose protection. The protection must be brought by the students themselves. Simple, if necessary self-made protection is sufficient. Mouth and nose protection is provided centrally by the university for laboratory staff and teachers.
• Sneeze and cough hygiene (in the crook of the arm or in a tissue) must be observed.
• The minimum distance of 1.5 m must be observed at all times.
• When traveling to the university campus, the applicable official contact restrictions and hygiene regulations must be observed. Participation with flu symptoms (elevated temperature) is prohibited.
• The buildings remain closed. Students must be picked up by laboratory staff at the entrance to the building at the agreed time. Mouth guards must be worn in the waiting area in front of the building and the minimum distance must be observed. The dean's offices plan, set up and control the waiting areas.
• The attendance list must be kept and kept by the laboratory staff for each event. Students identify themselves with a student ID or identity card. Signatures are not used for hygienic reasons.
• Immediately before and after the internship: wash or disinfect hands (takes place within the building access, planning by dean's offices).
• The number of students per event must be limited per laboratory room so that an average of at least 10 m2 of space per person is guaranteed.
• For internships with multiple workplaces and / or work stations, only one student may work at one work station / station.
• Devices and work surfaces are cleaned with disinfectant after each change of group or station (is procured and provided centrally by the university).
• Enclosed rooms must be well ventilated (ventilate every hour or open windows continuously).

The current dispositions of the federal, state and local authorities enable, among other things. the universities, in compliance with appropriate hygiene regulations, conduct practical courses, provided that these require special classrooms. On this basis, the university will already be on April 8th. Now follow the published "Teaching and Exam Scenario with Restricted On-Site Operation".

The general, binding framework conditions for the planning and implementation of individual lessons and teaching in small groups in the presence of vocal and instrumental pedagogy, which are to be observed in particular at the Institute for Music, as well as some additional notes and recommendations that are as efficient and effective as possible safe operation can be found on the intranet.

The hygiene standards listed below are based on the legally binding "Lower Saxony Ordinance for the Protection of New Infections with the Corona Virus" dated April 17, 2020. They are to be observed by everyone during the implementation of the courses and included in the safety instructions for students and staff:

• All people wear mouth and nose protection when entering the IfM building in all areas and corridors. Protection must be brought by the students and teachers themselves. Simple, if necessary, self-made protection is sufficient (mouth and nose protection is provided and deposited by the Dean's Office for emergencies).
• Disinfect the hands in the entrance area. Appropriate funds are made available by the university.
• If possible, wear a mouth-nose mask during the lesson (wind instruments, singing, etc. are exceptions).
• The number of students per class must be limited per classroom, so that an average of at least 10 m2 of space per person is guaranteed. This results in a safety distance of 3.5 m. The maximum number of participants per student group is limited to 5 people.
• A list in the classroom is to be chosen side by side (both from teachers to students, as well as from students among themselves).
• Conductors wear a visor cap with a clear visor or provide a plexiglass wall if they want to act from the front (the dean's office helps with the procurement).
• In the case of wind instruments, a stocking or similar should be placed on the bell, if possible, and the condensation water collected with a newspaper. The newspaper must be disposed of at the end of the lesson.
• The sneezing and coughing hygiene (in the crook of the arm or in a tissue) must be observed.
• The minimum distance of 1.5 m must be observed at all times in all other rooms and areas of the university.
• When traveling to the university campus, the applicable official contact restrictions and hygiene regulations must be observed. Participation with flu symptoms (elevated temperature) is prohibited.
• The dean's office plans, sets up and controls the waiting areas.
• Immediately before and after class: wash or disinfect hands (takes place within the building access, planning by the dean's office).
• Devices and work surfaces are cleaned with disinfectant (which is procured and provided centrally by the university) after each group or station change (e.g. ballet sticks). Teachers ensure implementation.
• Enclosed rooms must be well ventilated (after each session, ventilate or open windows continuously, unless music is being played).

The Student Secretariat is available to you by e-mail and by phone for questions about exams, extension options for processing times, deregistration from exams, withdrawals from exams and all matriculation matters.
Please address your concerns directly to the course administration responsible for you:
www.hs-osnabrueck.de/de/wir/organisation/organisationseinheiten/studierendensekretariat/
 

All locations of the university library will be reopened to the public from May 4th, 2020 under hygienic conditions to protect against Corona (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The following additional rules apply:
 

• The libraries may only be entered individually in compliance with the applicable hygiene regulations. Wearing mouth-nose protection is required.
• The number of simultaneous visitors at the individual locations is limited. In order to give all students and staff the opportunity to borrow books, the duration of the stay is therefore max. Limited to 30 minutes / visitor. Therefore, please calculate waiting times or switch to other days and times. You must already have researched your borrowable books online in order to meet these time frames.
• The users of the university library on the Westerberg campus can only access it via the south entrance (towards the cafeteria). An entrance control is carried out by a security guard. In Lingen, access to the library is only possible via the east entrance (canteen).
• In addition to returning and borrowing media, copying, scanning and printing are possible. The libraries will only offer further work opportunities at a later date.
  
  All current changes and other location-specific information can be found at
  https://www.bib.hs-osnabrueck.de

Even practical project work cannot take place in the laboratories. The continuation of started project work will be postponed until May 3, 2020. The laboratory internships failing until May 3, 2020 will not be made up for. Provided that the normal apprenticeship from May 4, 2020 the remaining laboratory dates will take place. The laboratory event is then considered to be successfully completed as a whole according to the study regulations (achievement of the credit points).

Many students are currently completing compulsory curricular practical projects in companies and non-university institutions. There, the respective management teams partially limit the student's job opportunities. If the companies prescribe “home office” for the students because they can continue to work there, this has no effect on the recognition of the course achievements. The same applies if the projects are put on hold and are to be continued after the work restrictions. In this case, the students should inform the student secretariat and the supervising teacher. If the companies terminate the project contracts without notice, the course work will still be recognized if at least two thirds of the work has been completed. Otherwise, a suitable additional task can be set by the university if this is the responsibility of the supervising teacher. If this is not the case, the project must be started again later.

Current information on the extension of the processing time for final theses, the form of final theses and the implementation of colloquiums in online format can be found on the website of the Student Secretariat.

Please make sure that you do not organize personal study groups in private rooms or on campuses, but that you also use formats such as chats or video conferences.

Against the backdrop of rapidly changing conditions for travel, residence and study abroad and the associated uncertainty in planning, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences recommends postponing your study abroad to a later semester. This recommendation applies in particular to destinations outside of Europe.

Please note the important information listed here when deciding for or against a stay abroad. 

In view of the current restrictions, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences recommends to postpone a guest study visit to a later date. This advice is particularly valid when it comes to entries from third countries (from countries outside the EU, the Schengen area and Great Britain/Northern Ireland).
However, we invite you to participate in individual online courses of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences from your home country. 
If you would like to come to Osnabrück despite the expected restrictions, you are most welcome.

When making your decision, please note  the important information about online teaching, semester times, entry and residence restrictions.

The child emergency care is unfortunately suspended from now up to and including April 19, 2020. In addition to the general recommendations of the health authorities and the instructions of the regional church, the state's decision on the school and daycare closings unfortunately also has an impact on the child emergency care project. The family service in the Equal Opportunities Office continues to offer advice and exchange. Feel free to contact the Equal Opportunities Office to describe specific challenges or to design support options together. For an appointment for a telephone conversation, please send an email to: gleichstellung@hs-osnabrueck.de 

Writing to the students and student representatives of the universities in Lower Saxony

Basically, the work has to be performed and the operation must be maintained during this period.
The department has to order the necessary measures to prevent the disease from spreading in the public administration and at the same time to keep it running (e.g. working at home in the form of teleworking or mobile work). If necessary, for example, after consultation with the team management, a division of the team into two groups is conceivable, which work alternately in the office and from home. If such measures are not feasible or expedient, other legal options can be applied depending on the circumstances of the individual case until a final clarification of the health status. If you have any questions, please contact your HR clerk.

If there is uncertainty or concern, you can take advantage of the holiday or flexitime compensation within the scope of the business opportunities. The university welcomes the fact that employees take advantage of the opportunities offered by working at home. There is therefore no formal approval procedure. Please report the late registrations at the beginning of a new month, stating the exact number of hours, to the day at zeiterfassung@hs-osnabrueck.de. Please also put your supervisor in the CC.

People with an increased health risk due to relevant previous illnesses (e.g. diabetes, cancer, dialysis, chronic heart and lung diseases, organ transplants, immunodeficiency disorders, further details can be found on the RKI website) are exempted from attendance as the benefits continue to be paid. The exemption takes place in consultation with the supervisor, who forwards the relevant information to the HR department.
During this period, the working days are automatically credited with the individual target time (no plus or minus hours due to this measure). Vacation days already applied for remain unaffected. The university welcomes you to take advantage of domestic opportunities during this time. There is no separate application procedure for domestic work.

If, due to the closure of a daycare center or school, employees and teachers have to ensure the care of their minor, other forms of childcare are not guaranteed and measures such as domestic work are not feasible or expedient, an exemption from work is to continue payment according to § 29 para. 3 TV-L granted. If you have any questions, please contact your HR administrator.

The child emergency care is unfortunately suspended until further notice.

In addition to the general recommendations of the health authorities and the instructions of the regional church, the state's decision on the school and daycare closings unfortunately also has an impact on the child emergency care project.

The family service in the equal opportunities office continues to offer advice and exchange. Feel free to contact the Equal Opportunities Office to describe specific challenges or to design support options together. For an appointment for a telephone conversation, please send an email to: Gleichstellung@hs-osnabrueck.de

If employees and teachers are affected by the Corona virus, they must stay away from the service. Employees and lecturers who are put into quarantine due to suspected illness with the Corona virus by a doctor's order or by order of the health department are serviceable in the medical sense, but are released from the obligation to perform.

If employees and teaching staff stay away from work due to illness, they must notify the office immediately of the illness and its expected duration. If the incapacity lasts longer than three working days, a medical certificate must be presented. The deadline for submission is extended to five working days.

Many students are currently completing compulsory curricular practical projects in companies and non-university institutions. There, the respective management teams partially restrict the student's job opportunities. If the companies prescribe "home office" for the students because they can continue to work there, this has no effect on the recognition of the course achievements. The same applies if the projects are put on hold and are to be continued after the work restrictions. In this case, the students should inform the student secretariat and the supervising teacher. If the companies terminate the project contracts without notice, the course work will still be recognized if at least two thirds of the work has been completed. Otherwise, a suitable additional task can be set by the university if this is the responsibility of the supervising teacher. If this is not the case, the project must be started again later.

The eLearning Competence Center (eLCC) presents teachers with options and tools with which they can maintain their teaching online.

Platform for exchange among teachers
Numerous colleagues have already registered in the collaboration environment set up by the eLCC in "Microsoft Teams" for the exchange of experiences for all teachers. Feel free to use the exchange around tools, tools and didactics in HS_Dozierendenteam.
Link to the team room: http://bit.ly/corona_solidargemeinschaft 
 
Instructions on how to join this team room can be found on the eLCC homepage:
https://www.hs-osnabrueck.de/fileadmin/HSOS/Homepages/eLCC/Teamraum_beitreten.pdf 
Instructions on how to use Microsoft Teams:
https://www.hs-osnabrueck.de/fileadmin/HSOS/Homepages/eLCC/Anleitung_Microsoft_Teams.pdf 

The Learning Center offers you a page in the OSCA portal with materials for self-study aimed at teachers. https://osca.hs-osnabrueck.de/Wikibeich/Studium%20und%20Lehre%20%C2%B0/00%20Interne%20Informationen%20%C2%B0%C2%B0/Materialien%20des%20LearningCenters.aspx 

Current information on the extension of the processing time for final theses, the form of final theses and the implementation of colloquia in online format can be found on the website of the Student Secretariat.

Since the freedom of movement of the state and municipalities is being expanded step by step, we would like to draw your attention to the rules that will apply from then on for responsible use of business trips. Based on the premise that business trips are to be reduced to an absolute minimum at present, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences will make business trips possible again on May 25, 2020. Travel to special risk areas in Germany and long-distance travel should be avoided. Please inform yourself on this page here under the further links listed there for current reports.

The Federal Foreign Office warns against all unnecessary tourist trips abroad.

The travel warnings of the RKI or the Federal Foreign Office must be observed. If employees of the university visit a country or area that is particularly affected according to the travel instructions of the RKI and AA, they bear the sole risk (e.g. illness, quarantine on site, obstacles to return travel).

Current case numbers, affected countries and information on risk areas can be found at www.rki.de/covid-19-risikogebiete and www.rki.de/covid-19-fallzahlen.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI): cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever, some sufferers also suffer from diarrhea.

If you are afraid of being infected with the corona virus, contact your family doctor by telephone first to clarify the suspicion and the further procedure in a telephone conversation.

Outside of the general doctor's office hours, the emergency medical service can be reached at 116 117.

In addition, the Robert Koch Institute recommends avoiding unnecessary contacts, staying at home if possible, observing the cough and sneeze label and good hand hygiene.

Notes from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI):

• Contact the responsible health authority immediately
• 14 days of home quarantine with daily contact with the health department

according to RKI:

• primarily via respiratory secretions
• fecal-oral transmission also questionable - detection of coronaviruses in stool samples from infected people has been demonstrated.

14 days are still assumed (RKI).

The 10 most important hygiene tips from the Federal Center for Health Education provide a good overview to protect yourself from infectious diseases, such as: regular and thorough hand washing, keep hands away from your face, sneeze in the crook of your arm or a handkerchief and keep your distance in case of illness.

In view of the flu, these measures are advisable everywhere and at any time.

Robert Koch Institute (answers to frequently asked questions)
https://www.rki.de/SharedDocs/FAQ/NCOV2019/FAQ_Liste.html 

Federal Foreign Office (travel and security information)
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReisenUndSicherheit/reise-und-sicherheitshinweise/letzteaktualisierungen 

Federal Ministry of Health (topic page)
https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/coronavirus.html 

World Health Organization WHO (topic page)
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus 

Infektionsschutz.de: Prevent infections
https://www.infektionsschutz.de 

Federal Center for Health Education
https://www.bzga.de