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

1. Since August 8, every person entering the country from a recognized risk area is required to be tested for a coronavirus infection. If your test is negative and the responsible health authority has not made any other statements, you may return to the university. However, please continue to monitor to see if you experience any symptoms afterwards!

2. Make an appointment by telephone with your family doctor immediately.
Outside office hours, you can reach the medical emergency service at 116117.

3. Please resolve questions about your courses directly with the teachers electronically.

Information for travelers from the Federal Ministry of Health: https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/coronavirus-infos-reisende.html

The Robert Koch Institute differentiates between so-called K1 and K2 contact persons, depending on the time interval and the intensity of the contact with the infected person. In both cases, please stay at home and do not come to the university. Please clarify questions about your courses directly with your teachers electronically.

Information graphic for the classification of contact persons

1. Since August 8, every person entering the country from a recognized risk area is required to be tested for the coronavirus. If your test is negative and the responsible health authority has not made any other statements, you may return to the university. However, please continue to monitor to see if you experience any symptoms afterwards!

Please stay at home during the time between the test and the test result and use the extended home office options during the coronavirus pandemic.

2. Using electronic means, please inform your superior immediately about the facts of the case or, alternatively, the following contact persons:

Contacts within the faculties:

•    Business Management and Social Sciences: WiSo Dean's office, 0541 969-2140, wiso@hs-osnabrueck.de
•    Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture: AuL Dean's Office, 0541 969-5110, Dekanat-al@hs-osnabrueck.de
•    Engineering and Computer Science: IuI Dean's Office, 0541 969-3712, dekanat-iui@hs-osnabrueck.de
•    Management, Culture, and Technology: MKT Dean's Office, 0591 80098-201, dekan-mkt@hs-osnabrueck.de
•    Institute of Music: Matthias Vornholt 0541 969-7050, m.vornholt@hs-osnabrueck.de

Contact for Personnel Management:

•    Reiner Haut 0541 969-7087, r.haut@hs-osnabrueck.de

3. Make an appointment by telephone with your physician immediately. Outside office hours, you can reach the medical emergency service at 116117.

5. Inform our contact staff and your professional management team about the probable resumption of your activities on site (after consulting your doctor).

6. If you have been instructed to quarantine by the Health Department, please submit this to the Personnel Management Department.

7. If you do not have work equipment available at home, please do not come to the university to get it.

8. You can access Outlook and NetCase via a web access (msx.hs-osnabrueck.de, www.netcase.hs-osnabrueck.de).

Information for travelers from the Federal Ministry of Health: https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/coronavirus-infos-reisende.html

Business trips to risk areas must be avoided. Specifically, the university recommends that students refrain from private travel to recognized risk areas and that they adapt their personal behavior to the applicable recommendations.

The Robert Koch Institute differentiates between so-called K1 and K2 contact persons, depending on the time interval and the intensity of the contact with the infected person. Please follow the recommendations of the RKI, as described in the infographic. If you are experiencing symptoms yourself, please follow the instructions in the section "What should I do if I develop symptoms that indicate coronavirus?

Both as a K1 and K2 contact person, please use the extended home office options during the corona-virus pandemic. Again, we ask you to inform your superior or, alternatively, the contact persons mentioned in the previous section about this matter.

If you fear that you are infected with the coronavirus, first contact your physician by telephone to clarify the suspicion and further procedure. Outside the office hours of your general practitioner, you can reach the medical emergency service at 116 117.

Please do not come to the university as long as your suspicion has neither been confirmed nor disproved! Employees should please use the extended home office options during the coronavirus pandemic.

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

For the coming winter semester 2020/21, which begins on October 5, 2020, the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences is planning a mix of seminars on campus and online teaching. There will be individual, fixed days of attendance with seminars in small groups for all students. On-site teaching will be supplemented in the coming winter semester with interactive online lectures that will take place live via video conference tools. In this way, teachers and students will regularly see and exchange ideas online. In addition, there will be recorded video teaching content, presentations with audio commentary and other materials that can be flexibly accessed online.
The university also provides online tools so that students can exchange ideas in online learning groups and learn together. The eLearning Competence Center supports all students and teachers in using the online tools, in digital teaching and in learning in the home office.

www.hs-osnabrueck.de/de/elearning-competence-center/

At the campuses and in all university buildings, the currently applicable hygiene standards will also be implemented for limited presence operations in the 2020/21 winter semester. In this way, we want to enable our first-year students to get to know the lecturers and fellow students personally and promote personal exchange between students and lecturers in a secure framework.

In face-to-face meetings in selection and appointment procedures. The following hygiene standards must be observed:

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

Public events, specialist conferences and colloquia with external participants in attendance may not take place on the premises of the university in the winter semester 2020/21 - until at least February 28, 2021. Working meetings with external participants are allowed with up to 25 people in suitable rooms. Larger numbers of people are to be discussed with the Dean's Office. The minimum distances of 2.5 m or 6.5 m2 per person must be observed.

When moving around the university buildings, a mask is required. This rule is to be seen in connection with and compliance with the existing general rule of at least 1.5 meters between people meeting each other. The following information:

• Wear mouth and nose protection in all situations where a distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained.
• Wear mouth and nose protection 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 around outside (cafeteria in front of the cafeteria, park in Haste, parking lots, etc.) if the distance rule is observed.
• It is not necessary to wear mouth and nose protection during physical work on experimental areas and the like in the open air, taking into account the distance rule.
• Please also note the hygiene standards for a limited presence in the winter semester 2020/21.

• All locations of the university library are open to the public subject to conditions to protect against the corona pandemic.
  Campus Westerberg: Monday – Friday 9 - 18 o’clock
  Campus Haste and Lingen: Monday – Friday 9 - 18 o’clock and Saturday 10 - 14 o’clock
• The libraries may only be entered individually in compliance with the applicable hygiene regulations.
• It is necessary to wear mouth and nose protection.
• The number of simultaneous visitors is limited. Please calculate waiting times or switch to other days and times.
• From the winter semester 2020/2021, students at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences will automatically be activated for library use after enrolling and sending the CampusCard.
• Also from the winter semester 2020/2021, students of university will automatically be registered with the university email address for the library's email service. Students who have already registered for the e-mail service with a different e-mail address will now be overwritten with the university e-mail address. This means that from the 2020/2021 winter semester onwards, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences will only communicate with all students via the university email address.
• The library offers a limited number of workspaces and work rooms for members of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. The group rooms are again available for several people from September 1, 2020. The maximum number of people and the information on wearing mouth and nose protection in the group rooms can be found on the notices on the doors of the respective rooms. The length of stay is not limited. A reservation option is planned, but not yet possible.
• Since July 20, 2020, in addition to members of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, all external users (city users and members of other colleges / universities) have been allowed to use it again. All external users can only borrow media. Unfortunately, it is not possible to occupy workplaces. The length of stay should not exceed 30 minutes.
• Further information and notes on visiting the libraries can be found on the library website.

All current changes and other location-specific information can be found at
https://www.bib.hs-osnabrueck.de

The canteens in Westerberg and Schlossgarten currently offer a lunch to-go menu that can be pre-ordered the day before using the SWOSY app. All other canteens and cafeterias of the Osnabrück Student Union in Osnabrück and Lingen are currently closed.

Current information from the Studentenwerk Osnabrück 

Despite the still existing restrictions for university sports, from 27.07. A small holiday program with a mix of outdoor and live stream offers will take place until October 17, 2020. Here you can find the current offers of university sports including online registration for individual dates.

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

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/
 

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.

Although the university buildings are currently closed, you can validate your CampusCard.

Campus Westerberg: AB building from Monday to Thursday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Fridays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Access is only possible via the main entrance on Albrechtstraße.)

Campus Haste: HR building from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Lingen campus: KH building from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (access to the hall is only possible via the east entrance.)

The winter semester 2020/21 will consist of a mix of online and face-to-face events. There are some points that must be observed for the courses:

• In the seminar and laboratory rooms, the tables must be arranged so that the seats are approx. 2.5 meters apart.
• In the case of laboratory internships with several workstations and / or workstations, only one person is allowed to work at one workstation / station.
• Devices and work surfaces are disinfected after each change of group or ward.
• The seminar and laboratory rooms must be ventilated several times a day - at least every 45 minutes, during every break and before every event - with the windows fully open for several minutes. These measures are appropriately preset in rooms with ventilation systems.
• In order to be able to understand chains of infection, attendance lists (with assignment to the seating arrangement) must be kept for courses using a developed IT solution.

In addition to the general hygiene rules for the 2020/21 winter semester, the following rules apply to instrumental and vocal pedagogical lessons:

• Hands must be disinfected after entering.
• If possible, mouth and nose protection should also be worn during lessons.
• There must be at least 10 square meters of space available per person. This results in a safety distance of 3.5 m, which must be observed. The maximum number of participants per student group is 5 people.
• Hands should be washed or disinfected immediately before and after class.
• In the room, teachers and students should always stand next to each other.
  Conductors either wear a canopy with a clear visor or - if they want to act frontally - use a plexiglass wall.
• With wind instruments, a stocking or something similar should be stretched over the bell and the condensation should be caught with newspaper. The newspaper is disposed of at the end of the lesson.
• Equipment and work surfaces are disinfected after each change of group or ward (e.g. ballet bars).

You can find further information on instrumental and vocal pedagogical lessons on the intranet.

All open self-study zones at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences are currently closed. Learning in the open self-learning zones (e.g. SL building or CaLo) is basically possible in the winter semester 2020/21. The following aspects must be taken into account:
 

• Not all places are occupied in firmly seated self-study areas and PC pools.
• In the case of closed rooms as self-learning zones or PC pools, the rooms are labeled with the maximum number of people in the room.
• Self-study areas should be ventilated regularly.
• In the self-learning zones, voluntary attendance lists (with assignment to the seating arrangement) are kept.

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.

In light of the dynamically changing conditions for travel, residence and study abroad, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences advises students to organize their study plan in such a way that a stay abroad, originally planned for Winter Semester 2020/21, is postponed to a later semester. This recommendation applies in particular to non-European destinations and very explicitly to countries for which the German Foreign Office has issued a travel warning.

When deciding for or against a stay abroad, please note the important information listed here.

In view of the current restrictions, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences advises visiting international students to postpone their visit until a later date. This advice is particularly applicable when it comes to arrivals from third countries (from countries outside the EU, the Schengen area and Great Britain/Northern Ireland).
We invite you to participate in selected online courses of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences to complement your studies at your home university without having to travel to Germany: Join the Osnabrück Global Classroom!
If you would like to come to Osnabrück despite the expected restrictions, you are most welcome! Please note the information below on current entry regulations, study conditions and rules of conduct under Corona conditions.

Degree-seeking Students:

Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences cordially welcomes international students! The upcoming winter semester will be a mix of on-campus seminars and online teaching. In case you will not be able to enter Germany before the semester start because of the current entry restrictions, please contact the Center for International Students at international@hs-osnabrueck.de

Please note the following information on:

Corona - Entry into Lower Saxony - Osnabrück
Corona - Entry into Lower Saxony - Lingen
Corona - Studying at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences WS 20_21
Corona - Rules of Conduct in Osnabrück and Lingen
Corona - Info Housing Service WS 20_21

In principle, work must be performed and service operations maintained during the period of the Corona crisis. All listed rules for work organization apply until further notice.

Employees can use the possibilities of working at home, but they can also work in the university's premises while respecting hygiene standards.

People with an increased health risk due to relevant previous illnesses (e.g. diabetes, cancer, dialysis, chronic heart and lung diseases, organ transplants, immunodeficiency diseases, further details can be found on the RKI website) are exempted from the obligation to attend, provided they continue to pay their remuneration. The release takes place in consultation with the line manager, who forwards the relevant information to the HR department.

If you have any questions, please contact your HR administrator.

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.

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).

Business trips should currently be reduced to the absolute minimum. Travel to risk areas is not recommended.

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 on the OSCA portal with materials for self-study aimed at teachers.

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.

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.

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