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Coronavirus

Two people with mouth-nose protection work at the PC.
© picture alliance /Eibner press photo/Sascha Walther

Current Regulations

  • Courses take place in presence.
  • The university is fully open again, also for the general public.

  • The limited masking requirement will be lifted for the entire university at the end of classes, beginning July 16. Masks will no longer be required to be worn in courses, in the University Hall, in areas of public traffic, and in elevators. The pandemic, however, is not yet over: Wearing a medical masks on a voluntary basis, preferably FFP2-masks, is strongly recommended. If you do not wear a mask, maintain social distance and ventilate regularly.

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Current Updates

Calender week 28 /2022

Dear Students,

The lecture period of the Summer Semester is coming to a close. After nearly two and a half years of the pandemic, this semester has been marked by a return to in-person operations. You have been back on campus again; in-person teaching and events have now the rule, rather than the exception. We want to thank you again for your commitment and your willingness to be flexible and adapt to new circumstances.

In April, we responded to the current Coronavirus regulations from the federal government with two mandatory hygiene concepts. The limited masking requirement that is still in effect will be lifted for the entire university at the end of classes, beginning July 16. Masks will no longer be required to be worn in courses, in the University Hall, in areas of public traffic, and in elevators. The pandemic, however, is not yet over: we continue to strongly recommend that medical masks be worn on a voluntary basis, preferably FFP2-masks. If you do not wear a mask, maintain social distance and ventilate regularly.

What is to be expected in the coming months? We anticipate that the Winter Semester will once again be taught in person and that digital formats will continue to support classroom teaching where it makes pedagogical sense to do so. As much as we would like to let you know today what specific regulations will be place this fall, e.g. whether the mask requirement will be reinstated, this is unfortunately not yet possible. For this, we must wait until the federal state government issues its updated Coronavirus regulations. Ultimately, of course, this also depends on how the pandemic develops – adjustments to our current regulations may therefore also be necessary. We ask for your patience. Please know that we will be in touch with more information as soon as possible.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to discuss another recent development: the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway) is warning of longer-term stoppages in the supply of Russian gas, as you have probably heard in the media. This situation could have negative consequences on the nation’s gas supply this winter, which could also impact operations at Bielefeld University. We are therefore closely monitoring the situation and preparing for potential scenarios. Similar to the Coronavirus pandemic, this situation is also highly volatile and subject to rapid change. We will keep you updated on the latest developments here.

Despite all of these challenges, we hope that you have a great start to the semester break. Take care of yourself, and stay healthy and well.

Kind regards,

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector

Prof. Dr. Birgit Lütje-Klose, Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

Dear Colleagues,

The lecture period of the Summer Semester is coming to a close. After nearly two and a half years of the pandemic, this semester has been marked by a return to in-person operations. You have been working regularly on campus again; in-person teaching and events have now the rule, rather than the exception. We want to thank you again for your commitment and your willingness to be flexible and adapt to new circumstances.

In April, we responded to the current Coronavirus regulations from the federal government with two mandatory hygiene concepts – one for teaching operations, and one for university service operations. Accordingly, the limited masking requirement that is still in effect will be lifted for the entire university at the end of classes, beginning July 16. Masks will no longer be required to be worn in courses, in the University Hall, in areas of public traffic, and in elevators. The pandemic, however, is not yet over: we continue to strongly recommend that masks be worn on a voluntary basis (FFP2 where possible). If you do not wear a mask, maintain social distance and ventilate regularly.

What is to be expected in the coming months? We anticipate that the Winter Semester will once again be taught in person and that digital formats will continue to support classroom teaching where it makes pedagogical sense to do so. As much as we would like to let you know today what specific regulations will be place this fall, e.g. whether the mask requirement will be reinstated, this is unfortunately not yet possible. For this, we must wait until the federal state government issues its updated Coronavirus regulations. Ultimately, of course, this also depends on how the pandemic develops – adjustments to our current regulations may therefore also be necessary. We ask for your patience. Please know that we will be in touch with more information as soon as possible.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to discuss another recent development: the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway) is warning of longer-term stoppages in the supply of Russian gas, as you have probably heard in the media. This situation could have negative consequences on the nation’s gas supply this winter, which could also impact operations at Bielefeld University. The university’s energy utilities are directly dependent on gas to a certain extent. Additionally, there are also indirect gas dependencies in local heating networks, the extent of which are unclear. What also remains unclear is whether – and to what degree – a potential energy shortage could occur. This is why the university, under the direction of the Chancellor, is already closely monitoring the situation and preparing for potential scenarios. Similar to the Coronavirus pandemic, this situation is also highly volatile and subject to rapid change. We will therefore continue to assess the situation on a regular basis and keep you updated on the latest developments here.

Despite all of these challenges, we hope that you have a great start to the semester break and a relaxing summer holiday. Take care of yourself, and stay healthy and well.

 

Kind regards,

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector

All Updates

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