TH-Wildau - News

Important information on the current Corona regulations

Shortly before the start of the courses, the crisis team would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the regulations in force in connection with the Corona pandemic and, above all, on-campus events.

Since it is the goal of our university to again offer approximately 50 percent of the courses on campus this winter semester, it is essential that these regulations are adhered to by all participants in the interest of safe and pleasant teaching and learning. The crisis team would also like to appeal once again to those who have not yet been vaccinated at the present time: Please consider still getting vaccinated, because vaccinations are a decisive building block for more and safer on-campus classes in the winter semester!

Basically:

You can find all information - always as up-to-date as possible - at en.th-wildau.de/corona. The current hygiene concept can also be found there.

The 3rd Ordinance on the Handling of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus and COVID-19 in Brandenburg (Third SARS-CoV-2 Handling Ordinance - 3rd SARS-CoV-2-UmgV) of 15 September 2021 applies up to and including 13 October 2021.

3-G status

Access to face-to-face events (courses/exams) is only allowed if participants (students and teaching staff) are vaccinated, recovered or negatively tested. The university is interested in making the resulting control procedure as practicable as possible and has deliberately chosen to adopt a trust-based approach:

a) The teachers are entitled to check the fulfilment of the 3-G status in their courses by having the participants show them the negative test certificates or proof of complete vaccination or recovery.

b) Teachers are obliged to verbally inquire about the fulfilment of the 3-G status in the course and to have it confirmed by a single "raising of the arm" that one of the three statuses (vaccinated, recovered, tested) has been fulfilled.

In the event that (a or b) participants are identified who do not fulfil any of these three statuses, teachers are both entitled and obliged to ask them to leave the room and carry out a self-test (see section "Obligation to test") in order to be able to continue participating in the course with a "negative test".

If the participant refuses to take a self-test, the lecturers are entitled (transfer of domiciliary rights, see order P05-2021) and obliged to ask him or her to leave the course. If there are any problems in doing so, please contact the President's Office on 03375 508 101. If an exclusion has occurred, the incident must be documented by the teachers and reported immediately to the President. A form for the documentation is available for download. Of course, we hope that such a case will not occur in the first place!

Furthermore, the university management will also carry out regular checks of the 3-G status in courses at the lecturers' premises, organise them or have them carried out by authorised persons. You can therefore assume that spontaneous, unannounced checks will take place.

As a result, a recovery or vaccination certificate or a negative test certificate must be carried at all times during the courses.

 

Note: Only those persons who have been vaccinated with one of the four vaccines approved in the European Union are considered "vaccinated". These are:

• mRNA vaccines: Biontech/Pfizer; Moderna
• Vector vaccines: Johnson & Johnson; Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
  The variant of this vaccine produced and licensed in India, which is used especially in the Asian region, is called "Covishield". This has no EU approval.

People vaccinated with a vaccine that is not licensed in the EU are considered unvaccinated and have to be tested.

Obligatory testing or "negatively tested" status

If participants of an on-campus event are neither vaccinated nor recovered, they must be tested negative when entering the event. The following rules apply:

• Participants in face-to-face courses must provide evidence of a negative test on their first day of attendance each week.
• Self-tests will continue to be provided by the university if required (issued in the gatehouse, building 13, Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., please also pay attention to any notices there). The negative test certificate will continue to be used and must be carried on campus at all times.
• However, it is generally recommended to do the tests in advance (at home or at an official testing station).
• The negative certificates are valid for 72 h (3 days), so that a maximum of two tests are necessary if the course is held on different days between Monday and Saturday.

Again, fully vaccinated or recovered persons are exempt from testing under the COVID 19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance of 8 May 2021, but must provide proof of full vaccination or recovery upon request.

Minimum distance, mask obligation and spatial planning

• For universities and other educational institutions, the Handling Ordinance recommends a minimum distance of one metre in teaching events (§25). This has been taken into account in the capacity and space planning.
  Please also ensure that students are seated in a "chequerboard" pattern, i.e. do not form groups. In addition, students are allowed to take off their mask after taking their fixed seat (and being one metre apart). Smaller distances or activities while standing without a fixed place are only possible with constant protection by a medical mask.
• The university allows teachers an exception in this respect: they are allowed to take off their masks within the "teaching zone". An information sheet on the lectern in the teaching rooms informs about this.
• The general obligation to wear masks in buildings (corridors, foyers, etc.) remains as before.
• As provided for in the hygiene concept, the rooms must be ventilated regularly. If the room has mechanical ventilation, please make sure that it is switched on.

Web app for contact tracing

With immediate effect, the obligation to collect personal data for the purpose of contact tracing is no longer applicable.

If you find posters or other information on campus advising you to use the contact tracing web app, please ignore them. They are no longer valid and will be adjusted accordingly. The QR codes on the rooms will also be provided with the corresponding information shortly.

Home office arrangements

As communicated in the email on 6 August, due to the ongoing special situation, the blanket home office regulations made in the context of the Corona pandemic have been extended until 31 October. If no further extension is communicated, the service agreement on alternating teleworking and mobile working (DV ATMA), which came into force on 1 September and was concluded between the university and the General Staff Council, will apply from 1 November.

Hygiene rules

Beyond all that has been communicated so far, it remains essential that we all adhere to the known hygiene rules.

• Distance - at least 1.5 m, also outside the buildings
• Hygiene rules - wash hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds and follow cough and sneeze etiquette
• Mask - wear a medical mask when on campus. This can be a surgical or FFP2 mask.
• Ventilate - regularly ventilate all types of room as best you can: offices, seminar rooms, lecture theatres etc.
• App - install the federal government's Corona warning app on a voluntary basis. It enables contact tracing and thereby to break contact chains.

Communication

In addition to the central "Corona website" at en.th-wildau.de/corona, please always pay attention to all other channels that the TH Wildau provides for communication. These include emails, notices and displays on campus as well as the screens in the foyers of the buildings and halls, our social media and the campus app UniDOS.

Welcome (back)!

We all want more campus life, learning and working with colleagues and direct encounters. That's why we are gradually returning to more presence and also promoting contact with each other - always within the bounds of what is possible, of course. A specially launched Welcome (back) campaign informs students, lecturers and employees about various events for networking, overcoming low motivation or about support workshops and counselling: en.th-wildau.de/welcomeback.

Your crisis team