This week, the state government has passed a new Corona Regulation, which comes into force on July 1. It differs fundamentally from the previous regulations, and it differs from its predecessors for the higher education sector in that it expressly does not regulate this sector in any more detail.
This means that, from July 1, 2020, the operation of higher education institutions will no longer be suspended and, in theory, a return to "normal operation under pandemic conditions" will be legally possible, provided that the conditions set out in the regulation are observed. The core of the new regulation for universities is the requirement to comply with certain hygiene requirements in accordance with a hygiene concept to be drawn up by the university and to carry out data collection.
Due to the applicable distance regulations, hygiene requirements and the obligation to document, the hygiene regulations that have been made and already communicated will continue to apply at the HfWU, and we will adhere to the current regulations until the end of the summer semester. This means in particular that courses will continue to be held online, that reservations will still be required for the use of the PC pools and the library, and that the learning and recreation areas will continue to be closed. We will inform you about any changes.
Furthermore, we are currently working intensively on a hygiene concept for the examination phase. We will probably make this available to you at the end of next week.
Even though no one knows how the situation will develop, our Rectorate would like to give you an outlook on the coming winter semester or rather a cautious assessment of how it could look like. Nationwide and across all types of higher education institutions, the trend is emerging to plan the 2020/2021 winter semester under pandemic conditions, i.e. with a corresponding proportion of digital teaching. Many universities tend to do this, and so do we. Our students do not move in fixed groups, often live in two households (student apartment and parental home) and commute to the place of study to a large extent. Under the assumption that the distance requirement will continue to apply and that other hygiene requirements will also characterize the winter semester, we tend to offer a mix of attendance (possibly in attendance phases) and digital services. The aim is to give current and future freshmen a higher priority when planning attendance courses. This is the only way to get to know the university and gain important impressions.
We are aware that an early decision is important for your planning, which is why we endeavour to inform you as soon as possible about the exact plans, especially the attendance courses.