Hygiene Conceptual Framework updated

Dear members of our university,

We started this winter semester in October very optimistically, based on very high vaccination rates among CAU students and staff. In doing so, we recorded the highest attendance since the start of the pandemic. This not only applied to teaching, but also to all other university areas.

In the past few weeks the COVID-19 situation became more and more seriously. We have seen restrictions being tightened again, all of them aiming to maintain as much on-site attendance in teaching & studies, research, administration and services as possible.

The University Board has now updated the CAU’s hygiene policy. The changes mainly affect the regulations from the amended Infection Protection Act and the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, this entails the obligation to work from home and 3G proof at the workplace. Please refer to our email from last week, here you can find further information and assistance on the CAU corona website.

The University Board has also specified additional measures. This emails aim to inform you about the changes:

• Internal meetings and working group meetings that are necessary for work purposes should be conducted digitally. Face-to-face meetings on site must adhere to the general hygiene regulations and maintain social distancing between participants. Meetings are to be restricted to a maximum of 10 participants and last no longer than 60 minutes.
• Committee meetings are to be conducted exclusively as video conferences.
• Interviews for job placement purposes and presentations for appointment procedures (specialist lectures, any trial teaching sessions, the discussion afterwards and the conversation with the appointment committee) must be conducted digitally. Exceptions are possible for on-site visits by shortlisted candidates or for interviews if, for example, particular requirements for the position can only be reviewed on site. (More information about job interviews and appointment procedures on the CAU corona website).
• Non-curricular or non-teaching university events (such as specialist conferences, lecture series and similar event formats) will not be held in attendance from 06.12. until provisionally 16.01.2022. The same applies to external events on CAU premises. Information will be provided in good time at the start of January 2022 about whether this period needs to be extended.
• Internal university gatherings of a social nature such as Christmas parties or company outings in CAU rooms or to external event locations are not permitted.
• Business trips which are not mandatory for completing work are not to be conducted. Business trips should not be approved, exceptions require the agreement of the University Board in individual cases. (More information about business trips on the CAU corona website).

We as the University Board are well aware that this means considerable restrictions for you as members of our university and that above all, important forms of personal and professional exchange are affected that cannot or can only insufficiently be compensated for with digital methods. The aim of the measures is nevertheless to focus on the university’s core tasks in teaching, research, administration and services and to enable attendance in all places where it is necessary and can still be safely performed.

Link to the updated Hygiene Conceptual Framework

Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation!

Best regards,
Claudia Ricarda Meyer
Chancellor