Current measurements from May 4

Dear members of the university,

As in previous weeks, we would like to inform you about the current developments in the management of the Corona pandemic. On May 1, the state government updated its measurements to combat the corona virus for the period from May 4. The adapted regulations are valid until May 17. After this date, a new decision will be made on the continuation or possible relaxation of currently applicable restrictions.

The current decisions have the following influence on the operation of our university (under specific conditions, see below):

• Practical lectures necessary for studies, which cannot or can only partially be carried out online, are allowed again.
• Museums and exhibitions are allowed to open again. The number of visitors is limited to one person per 15 square meters of accessible exhibition space.
• Libraries may partially reopen.
• The outdoor facilities of botanical gardens and plant parks may reopen.
• Marinas are opened under certain conditions. The communal facilities at these locations must remain closed during the day, with the exception of toilets.
• Low-contact outdoor sports shall be allowed to be practiced again. The prerequisite for this is the observance of hygiene rules. A sport is considered to be low-contact if a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between two persons is generally maintained when practising it. Sports equipment for low-contact sports such as bicycles or canoes may be rented out commercially again.
• Events continue to be prohibited for the duration of the regulation's validity; events with more than 1,000 participants are prohibited up to and including August 31.

Necessary precondition for each of these possible partial openings are concrete hygiene plans for the respective event or facility. These must be agreed in advance with the local health authority and approved by it.

This means: Since such hygiene and related personnel concepts first must be drawn up in the faculties for all teaching formats and approved by the public health department, the first attendance courses will be able to take place from May 11 at the earliest. This applies only to those lectures that cannot or can only partially be held digitally. All other courses that have already been started online will be continued in this format.

Restricted access to individual facilities such as libraries or museums will not be possible until the second half of May at the earliest, due to the hygiene concepts still to be drawn up and the organisational preparations that are required.

The regulations for research and administrative operations that have been communicated with the  personnel requirements of April 23 will initially continue to apply until May 10. Time recording will be resumed on Monday, May 4.  Further information can be found on the Corona homepage of the CAU.

In the coming week, the crisis management team, the University Board, and the faculties will develop a hygiene concept framework. This will describe, how a limited presence at our university outside of research and administration can be gradually resumed according to the requirements of the federal government. The concept will also include information which general hygiene and protective measures must be taken and observed in each case.

The aim of this framework concept is to provide comprehensive specifications for operation at the CAU by including as many facilities or examination and event formats as possible, and no separate concepts need to be drawn up and approved for these. If this is nevertheless necessary due to the specific nature of the type of operation, the premises or the event format, reference can be made to the framework concept and it can be supplemented. The subjects/degree programmes and institutions will be informed shortly about the further procedure and procedures.

We ask for your understanding that, in view of the scope and complexity of the hygiene and protection plans to be drawn up, it will take a few more days before the lift of restrictions can be put into practice. As it depends on regulations for individual teaching formats and facilities according to the current decisions of the state government. Detailed information on the current state of the Corona pandemic can still be found on this Corona website of the University.

With kind regards
Claudia Ricarda Meyer, Chancellor
Lutz Kipp, University President