Information on dealing with the coronavirus 2019-nCoV

It is urgently recommended that you adhere to the hygiene measures:

• Avoid shaking hands.
• Maintain good hand hygiene and wash your hands with sufficient soap and water.
• Adhere to coughing and sneezing etiquette (cough and sneeze in your elbow, not in your hand.)
• Use tissues only once and then dispose of them safely.
• Keep 1,5 meters distance to other people and especially avoid close contact with persons with respiratory infections.
• For students and visitors, it is compulsory to wear a mask of grade FFP2 in all buildings.
• The obligation to wear a medical-grade face mask in buildings applies to all employees, unless they have arrived at their work station and a minimum distance of 1.5 m is maintained between all employees.

• For participants in face-to-face examinations, face masks are not required as soon as the examination participants are seated and a minimum distance of 1.5 m is maintained between all persons. If this distance cannot be maintained, it is compulsory to wear a medical-grade mask or a mask of grade FFP2; different regulations may apply for state examinations.

• Entry to the University Library's lending section or to the businesses on campus is only allowed when wearing a mask of grade FFP2. The regulations of the BayIfSMV state a basic principle for all visitors to wear an FFP2 mask for the duration of their stay in a reading room. Users needing literature from the library who are exempt from wearing such a mask by a medical certificate (see also § 1 Para. 2 Clause 2 of the Bavarian infection prevention regulations (BayIfSMV)) are asked to contact the library at the following address in advance: benutzung.ub@ur.de.

• The obligation to wear a mask will also hold for all classes and teaching activities, for both students and teaching staff.

• Entry to the businesses on campus is only allowed when wearing a mask of grade FFP2.
• There is no obligation to wear a FFP2-grade face mask in the outdoor areas. 

Further information about common hygiene tips can be found here:
https://www.uni-regensburg.de/ur-international/coronavirus

Support for people in difficult situations

All persons for whom the restrictions on going out connected with the corona crisis present a danger, or for whom great economic, social and/or health insecurity threatens, can find an overview of the help available (by telephone or electronically) in the following PDF: Help available in difficult situations (PDF, in German)

Further sources of information

• https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
• https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china
• https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/press/2020/coronavirus.html
• https://www.rki.de/EN/Home/homepage_node.html
• Coronavirus telephone hotline: 09131/6808-5101

Public test center in the northern part of the campus

The public test center is situated in the northern part of the campus, on the parking lot between the OTH and Universität Regensburg. It is open from Monday to Thursday, 08:00 to 14:00. To get a rapid corona test here, you need to make an appointment online at https://covid-testzentrum.de/regensburg-uni/.

Procedure

• After making an appointment, you will receive a QR code on your cellphone.   
• Come to the test center at the time of the appointment. Please observe the corona-related regulations. In particular, keep to the social distancing rule, staying at least 1.5 m away from other people waiting, and wear a face mask.
• Medicare staff will scan your QR code at the test center using a hand-scanner. Please present a valid form of identification to verify your identity.
• You are given a test kit when you arrive, which you then hand to the member of staff who then takes your swab.
• You should then leave the area of the test center. You will be informed of the result 15 minutes later by email.
• Persons tested are informed in advance both on the Medicare homepage and on the E-ticket containing the QR code, that if they test positive, they must go into quarantine without delay and inform the public health department (Gesundheitsamt) immediately. Medicare is required to register positive test results with the public health department in Regensburg immediately.
• A certificate showing a negative test result can be used outside the university.

Self-tests on campus

Those working in-person at Universität Regensburg can be provided with two self-tests per week if they wish it. These tests are carried out in the test center in the Computer Center room CIP RZ1. The center is open on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To make an appointment, you have to use the website https://www.uni-regensburg.de/verwaltung/startseite-verwaltung/covid19test/index.html.

If you test positive, you alone will be contacted personally at the telephone number you give. This will take place within 60 minutes, and you will then be informed about the further steps to take in relation to the regulations on measures to protect against infection. If you test negative, you will not be contacted, unless you specifically request a negative test result is sent to you by email.

Starting March 15, 2021, the buildings on the university campus will be open from Monday to Friday between 06:00 and 22:00.

On Saturdays, the buildings Law and Economics, Multi-purpose Building, and PT Building will each be open from 08:00 to 22:00. The natural sciences buildings, the Central Library and Sport will be open from 08:00 to 20:00.

On Sundays, the buildings Law and Economics, Multi-purpose Building, and PT Building will each be open from 08:00 to 22:00. All other buildings will remain closed on Sundays.

In urgent cases, Maintenance Services can be contacted at all times via the telephone number 0941 943 3333.

It is compulsory to wear a mask of grade FFP2 in all buildings. In examinations, it is compulsory to wear a medical-grade mask or a mask of grade FFP2; for state examinations differing regulations may hold. Entry to the University Library's lending section or to the businesses on campus is only allowed when wearing a mask of grade FFP2. There is no obligation to wear a FFP2-grade face mask in the outdoor areas. The obligation to wear a medical-grade face mask applies to all employees, unless they have arrived at their work station and no-one else is present.

Currently, the university’s differing organizational units can still be contacted by telephone and email. This includes the Computer Center, the Language Center, the Registrar’s Office the student advice services, the International Office, examination offices, faculty management and offices of individual chairs. If you are unsure which email address to send your mail to, please use the general email address of the administration: registratur@ur.de

Registrar's Office

For questions on re-enrollment amongst other things, please find information and contact data on the webpage of the Registrar‘s Office.

Computer Center and CIP Pools

All CIP pools are closed. The information stand at the Computer Center is closed to the public. Questions from students regarding computer or IT support can still be submitted by email (support@rz.uni-regensburg.de) or telephone (0941 943-4444).

Service Point at the Language Center closed until further notice

For students: in urgent justified cases, certificates can be sent by post during this time. Please contact the Service Point by email at servicepoint.zsk@ur.de.

For students and staff: please note that lending out books or other media will not be possible until further notice.

University Archive closed

The University Archive is closed until further notice. In very urgent cases, please contact archiv@ur.de.

Family Service

Due to the current situation, the services offered by the Family Service are suspended until further notice.

Current regulations for entering the reading rooms

According to the 13th Bavarian infection prevention regulations (BayIfSMV) the reading rooms are open. The number of users per square meter is regulated by the current BayIfSMV (German version: https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/BayIfSMV_13-14)

In addition, the regulations of the BayIfSMV state a basic principle for all visitors to wear an FFP2 mask for the duration of their stay in a reading room. Users needing literature from the library who are exempt from wearing such a mask by a medical certificate (see also § 1 Para. 2 Clause 2 of the Bavarian infection prevention regulations (BayIfSMV)) are asked to contact us at the following address in advance: benutzung.ub@ur.de.

Resumption of reminders with late fees

To ensure that our literature is accessible, the University Library will resume the sending of reminders with late fees on April 12, 2021. The library users affected will receive a reminder by email. Please return the items concerned as soon as possible to avoid fees or the suspension of your account.

Please check your account regularly to see the due dates of any books you have taken out.

The books loaned from the reading rooms can be returned there or in the contact-free lending section of the Central Library.

In addition, books can, of course, be returned by mail. Please send the books to the following address, enclosing a note with your name and user number.
Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg, Ausleihe
Universitätsstr. 31
93053 Regensburg

Use of work spaces in the reading rooms

Only a limited number of work spaces are available for members of the university in each reading room. Please note the following rules for using the work spaces.

In accordance with the framework hygiene concept for universities, Universität Regensburg is required to collect and document all the contact data of all participants of in-person teaching activities, and all others spending time at UR, including the rooms of the University Library. For this reason, your library card is scanned every time you enter and leave the any reading room of the library. The user number, the times of entry and exit and the reading room are saved on the university's in-house servers.

This also applies to rest periods: when exiting a reading room, please let the members of staff know if you are only going for a break or are leaving. Should you only be going for a break, your right to your work space is kept for 60 minutes. After being absent for 60 minutes, you will be automatically logged out of the system. Please note that the data is collected separately for each reading room.

You are obliged to cooperate with the collection of contact data. Please have your library card ready when leaving and entering a reading room.

Lending from the reading rooms

Members of the university can once again loan out books directly from the reading rooms from March 9, 2021, (for UR students, a maximum of 5 books for 14 days.)

The books loaned from the reading rooms can be returned there or in the contact-free lending section of the Central Library. Please return your books at the end of the lending period.

Books from the special collection (Sonderbestand) with bookmarks starting 55 (indicating the Reclam collection in PT) can be ordered via the online catalog and are then collected from and returned to the contact-free counter in the Central Library.

Please keep to the hygiene rules

The reading rooms may only be accessed in accordance with the hygiene and safety rules (please see the notices displayed in the library):

• use the separated entrance and exit
• there is a maximum number of people allowed in the reading rooms at one time
• observe the distancing rules (1.5 meters)
• it is compulsory to wear a FFP2-grade mask (including at the work station)

Scanners are available in some reading rooms. We ask you to only scan individual chapters or pages (not whole books) and to keep your stay as short as possible. Please note that currently no USB sticks are available for loan.

Contact-free lending

The contact-free lending section remains open from Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00. Members of the university (including students) are able to loan out items from the storage and the textbook collection by using the contact-free lending option in the Central Library. If you are a member of the university, order items from storage and the textbook collection via Regensburger Katalog plus.

The contact-free lending section is open from Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00.

You will be informed as normal via email as soon as your media is ready for collection at the contact-free lending section. Please only come to the lending area when you have received the relevant email.

In accordance with current regulations, you are only allowed to come into the lending area when wearing an FFP2 mask. In addition, we ask you to take care to keep to the minimum distancing from other persons in the waiting area.

It also possible to return media (in the blue boxes in the lending area).

Orders from collections at the OTH are still not possible at present for members of the university. Picking up media from the OTH is also not possible for members of the university.

Until further notice all events have been prohibited. Please use the telephone conference options or the software zoom for meetings and conferences.

Lectures given as part of appointment procedures

The following change comes into effect on July 1, 2021. Lectures of introduction given as part of appointment procedures can be given in person as part of a meeting of the relevant appointment committee; the obligatory hygiene and safety measures must be observed. Sample lectures can also be carried out in-person. Members of the audience and guests can take part, after registering via Darfichrein, to the extent that there are enough places in accordance with the hygiene and infection protection concept in force for the lecture theater.
 

Registering practicals which require special laboratories or work rooms at the university

Details of any practical lesson which requires special laboratories or work rooms must be sent to the email address praxisveranstaltung-corona@ur.de, with a hygiene and infection-protection concept enclosed. The details to be given include the number of participants, the supervisor(s), how long it will last on the day, and the time period set aside for it.

The concept to be attached will be sent to the task force set up by the university leadership. Should the person registering the practical not hear from the task force within one work-day of submitting the registration, then the practical can take place as planned. Universität Regensburg will send all hygiene and infection-protection concepts to the Regensburg public health department in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Research's requirements.

Please note that lectures, seminars, exercise classes or other teaching which accompanies the practicals cannot be carried out in the classroom. Only those practical teaching activities which require laboratories or work rooms at the university can take place in person.

The website of the Safety Division contains aids and best-practice suggestions, which should make it easier to create hygiene and infection-protection concepts.
As a member of the teaching staff, please note the President's letter from May 6, 2020, which was distributed via the dean's offices in the individual faculties.

Home office remains the recommended option

The current home-office regulations are extended until September 30, 2021. Working from home continues to be the preferred option.

The aim of the extension of home office was to significantly reduce the risk of infection on campus, and simultaneously so that should there be an infection, whole work-groups will not have to be sent into quarantine, risking the operations of the university. Both these aims still apply, as the virus is still circulating in the world and there is neither medicine nor vaccine. As long as this is the situation, home office will remain the preferred option. Indeed, the SARS-CoV-2 standards on health and safety from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs also stipulate that office work should be done in home office where possible. This will certainly be the case for the whole summer semester.

Should the course of the pandemic allow, initially a return from home office on a voluntary basis could be envisaged, in which work can be organized to avoid rooms having several persons in them or so that there is sufficient protective distancing. The continuation of such a return would remain dependent on the general development of the pandemic. This means, for example, that should there be a second wave of the infection, home office would be significantly extended once more.

Flexible hours of physical presence

University employees (including scientific staff, non-scientific staff, and trainees) can carry out their duties more flexibly until further notice, for example with more flexible physical presence, using offices alternately and with the further facilitation of home office. Users of the time-recording system ZI Web can record the start and end of their working hours via the web interface themselves, also when in home office. It is not necessary to register via the personnel departments. It is possible to take your work computer home to use for your work when in home office (except employees working in the central administration, who need to inform their direct supervisors of their needs).

Technical possibilities

The Computer Center has information on the technical possibilities of using home office (e.g. setting up a VPN) at https://www.uni-regensburg.de/rechenzentrum/aktuelles/it-corona/

Members of the university can use "UR Chat", Universität Regensburg's collaboration platform, for everyday teamwork in home office, short messages and exchanging files. You log in with your computer center account.

• Info: www.ur.de/rechenzentrum/it-services/messenger/ur-chat/
• To the platform: https://chat.ur.de

Purchase of hardware

The Computer Center notes that the purchase of larger IT equipment such as notebooks, PCs, tablets and monitors for work still has to take place through the IT purchasing department of the Computer Center. You can access the Computer Center Webshop at https://webshop.uni-regensburg.de/

Rules for members of staff who are pregnant following the lifting of the restrictions on going outside

All employees who were pregnant and could not work exclusively in home office were not allowed to work for the duration of the restrictions on going outside. As these restrictions were lifted on May 5, 2020, this prohibition is now, as a general rule, lifted. This means that as a basic principle employees who are pregnant can work once more on the university campus - subject to the normal regulations in place and the measures determined for health and safety at work (resulting from the risk assessment including efficacy checks).

In individual cases, it may still be necessary to prohibit working on campus should the risk assessment show that health and safety measures cannot guaranteed safety for such work on campus; and should working exclusively from home office not be possible.

It is necessary here to create a risk assessment for the work of the person who is pregnant or extend the current risk assessment to include the corona virus.

Supervisors who are affected are asked to send on the results of their risk assessments. When you need assistance here, please contact the Safety administration division.

Child care while working in research and teaching

Due to the cancellation of normal child care in daycare centers and schools, many parents at UR have the challenge of trying to care for their children at home while they simultaneously have tasks to complete in their studies or in research and teaching. The university's women's representative and the coordinating office of equal opportunities, equality and inclusion have created a document with suggestions and help for parents who are studying, researching and/or teaching:

PDF document "Kinderbetreuung und Studium bzw. Arbeit in Forschung und Lehre"

Home office/Release from duties for child care

On the basis of the decisions made by the Bavarian government on April 16, 2020, the regulations governing employees whose children need to be cared for continue to apply without change. This means, in particular, that leave is not limited to 10 days so long as schools and daycare are closed either completely or for whole year-groups.

Insofar as it is compatible with the smooth running of the services and is necessary for the care of children, public servants and other public employees are granted home office and, should this not be possible, released from their duties (under full pay) for the time the schools and other child care facilities are closed.

There is no fixed age limit of the child. Nevertheless, the release from duties only applies if it is shown that child care is needed. This is particularly the case for children over the age of 14. An employee can only be released from duties when no child care can be ensured despite exhausting all other possibilities. It is, however, not necessary to ask persons over 60 years of age to take on child care.

Employees are asked to inform their supervisors, should they need to care for their children. Upon returning to work, the release should be marked on the holiday card with an official declaration of the need for and extent of the need for child care.
No release for child care can be granted during the school holidays. It is necessary to use vacation, flexible working time or special leave.

Supporting dependents in need of care

Home office, remote work and subsidiary leave are also granted when this is for providing support for a dependent in need of care, should this be necessary and the support cannot be arranged in any other way. The need for support must be demonstrated. This is particularly the case when the dependent cannot be cared for at home. Employees are asked to inform their supervisors. Upon returning to work, the release should be marked on the holiday card with an official declaration of the need for and extent of the need for care.