• Coronavirus

    disinfectant dispenser
    © Universität Bielefeld

Current Updates

Update of 03.07.2020 for students: Workspaces Now Available at University for Students

Dear Students,

Those of you who are having trouble studying at home – whether because of a weak Internet connection or no Internet access at all, or are facing other challenges – will now be able to work at individual workspaces at the university starting on July 6th. These workspaces are located in the Main University Building (Hauptgebäude), where in the Gallery (floors 1 and 2) of the University Hall (Unihalle), a total of 236 work spaces have been reconfigured to allow for 1.5 meters of distancing from neighbors, thus making them suitable for use. The same also applies for workspaces in 5 seminar rooms in the Main University Building and Building X, including:

UHG T2-213, with 12 workspaces

UHG T2-227, with 16 workspaces

UHG U2-223, with 12 workspaces

X-E0-222, with 16 workspaces

X-E1-201, with 16 workspaces

You do not have to register in advance to use the workspaces. Each workspace, however, does have a list where you just have to write your student identification number and the time present – this will facilitate contact tracing should an infection occur. Those who do not wish to sign in on the list are not allowed to use the workspaces. We also ask that you leave the area if the number of available workspaces are all occupied. As we previously shared with you, a room for students to work in was already set up in each of the university faculties. For this, please get in touch with your respective faculty.

Please also remember that a face mask must be worn while at the university. All information (usage regulations for student workspaces, data protection policy, and example sign-in sheet) can be accessed online at uni-bielefeld.de/arbeitsplaetze-studium.

Stay healthy and be well.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer

Rector

Update of 01.07.2020 for students: Lockdown lifted in Warendorf district, extended until 7 July in Gütersloh district

Dear students,

the lockdown for the Warendorf district ended yesterday, for the Gütersloh district it will be extended for another week, until 7 July 2020. This was announced yesterday by the Minister President at a press conference.

What does this mean for those employees and students of our university who live in the two districts? We continue to request that they follow the appeal of the state government. People from the Warendorf district will also be able to re-enter the university. Persons from the district of Gütersloh are asked, unless it is absolutely necessary, not to re-enter the university until the lockdown is lifted, unless they can show a negative corona test.

Furthermore, the information we provided in the e-mail of 25 July 2020, now applies exclusively to the Gütersloh district. This applies, e.g. in the current examination period: For students, we consider for example permitted courses in attendance (e.g. laboratory internships), examinations and work for final examinations in laboratories as necessary.

The entire communication of the university management of the past weeks can be found here.

With kind regards

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer

Rector

This mail was translated with deepl for time reasons.

Update of 01.07.2020 for staff: Lockdown lifted in Warendorf district, extended until 7 July in Gütersloh district

Dear employees,

the lockdown for the Warendorf district ended yesterday, for the Gütersloh district it will be extended for another week, until 7 July 2020. This was announced yesterday by the Minister President at a press conference.

What does this mean for those employees and students of our university who live in the two districts? We continue to request that they follow the appeal of the state government. People from the Warendorf district will also be able to re-enter the university. Persons from the district of Gütersloh are asked, unless it is absolutely necessary, not to re-enter the university until the lockdown is lifted, unless they can show a negative corona test.

Furthermore, the information we provided in the e-mail of 25 July 2020, now applies exclusively to the Gütersloh district. This applies, e.g. in the current examination period: For students, we consider for example permitted courses in attendance (e.g. laboratory internships), examinations and work for final examinations in laboratories as necessary.

The entire communication of the university management of the past weeks can be found here.

With kind regards

Dr. Stephan Becker
Chancellor
 

This mail was translated with deepl for time reasons.

all updates

Downloads

Operation regulations at Bielefeld University during the coronavirus Pandemic

Organizational decision of 23.03.2020

Updated version of 18.06.2020, valid from 19.06.2020

Since 23.03.2020, Bielefeld University has been operating in reduced basic mode due to the coronavirus pandemic. This has resulted in extensive restrictions to university operations. In view of the current state of the pandemic and the further general easing of social restrictions, the university is switching from this reduced basic operation mode to ‘university operation during the coronavirus pandemic’. This will allow the university to continue to operate on a reasonable level while still maintaining the existing measures and regulations to prevent chains of infection.  

This decree once again summarizes the existing regulations (measures concept) and supplements these with the occupational safety standards of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. All measures continue to pursue the goal of ensuring the health of technical and administrative staff, teachers, researchers, and students by interrupting the chains of infection.

In principle, and independently from the following contingency plan, the following still applies:

  1. In principle, a minimum distance of 1.5 m must be maintained between persons. In the university buildings, a mouth-and-nose covering must be worn in the public corridors, pathways, stairs, lifts, and stairways as well as in all areas in which the minimum distance cannot be maintained.
  2. Persons with respiratory symptoms (unless otherwise diagnosed medically) or fever are principally not allowed to stay on the university campus.

Complete organizational decision

 

Additional information

General information and links

Tips for hygiene
poster with tips for hygiene

Source: Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung, licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Interview with Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Hornberg

What do we know about the coronavirus and how to avoid transmissions?

Interview with Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Hornberg, Professor of Environment and Health and founding dean of the Medical Faculty OWL

Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Hornberg
Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Hornberg

Ms Hornberg, what’s so special about the coronavirus and how dangerous is an infection?

Coronaviruses were first identified in the mid-1960s and can infect not only humans but also various animals such as birds and mammals. It is assumed that the precursors of the novel coronavirus come from animals in the wild.

The current illnesses are caused by a new type of corona virus, with the official name "SARS-CoV-2". The respiratory disease it causes is called COVID-19.

As with other respiratory pathogens, an infection with the novel coronavirus can lead to symptoms such as coughing, a runny nose, a sore throat, and fever—just like a common cold. In patients with pre-existing conditions, the virus can take a more serious course with, for example, breathing difficulties or pneumonia. Up to now, most of the patients who have died were already suffering from chronic diseases. Currently, the proportion of deaths in which the virus has been confirmed by laboratory tests is about two percent. However, this only includes data on patients who have been treated in hospital.

How is the virus transmitted?

As far as we currently know, the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. The main transmission route is droplet infection. This can be directly person to person via the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract or also indirectly via the hands that are then brought into contact with the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose or the lining of the eyes.  Transmission is also possible if only mild or unspecific signs of disease are present. Novel coronaviruses have also been found in stool samples of some infected individuals. However, we do not yet know conclusively whether it can also be transmitted this way.

How can you personally protect yourself against an infection?

In terms of preventive health protection, it is important to adhere to the same hygiene measures that also protect against influenza (flu) infection. These are as follows:  

  • Do not shake hands
  • Regularly carry out good hand hygiene (wash your hands thoroughly with sufficient water and soap several times a day)
  • Avoid touching your face with your hands
  • Observe the coughing and sneezing etiquette (e.g. cough and sneeze into the crook of your arm, use disposable handkerchiefs)
  • if possible, keep at least 1-2 meters away from anybody who is coughing and/or sneezing.

What should people do if they are worried that they have been infected?

First of all, they need a medical examination to determine whether the suspicion of coronavirus is justified. This requires the presence of at least one of the following two constellations:

  • Acute symptoms (fever, cough, a runny nose, a sore throat, and/or infection-related breathing difficulties) or unspecific general symptoms AND contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
  • Acute symptoms (fever, cough, a runny nose, a sore throat, and/or infection-related breathing difficulties) AND having been in a risk area (www.rki.de/covid-19-risikogebiete and www.rki.de/covid-19-fallzahlen) within the last 14 days before the start of the illness.

If you suspect that you might have caught the disease, contact a doctor by telephone. Tell the doctor that you suspect that you have become infected with the new coronavirus (and, if appropriate, where you have travelled home from) and discuss what you should do next by telephone before going to a doctor's practice.

Why is there a quarantine recommendation for people who have been in risk areas or who have had clearly documented contact with sick people?

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) estimates that people who have been in a coronavirus risk area or have had contact with a COVID-19 infected person in the previous 14 days are potentially infected or sick. Persons who have stayed in a risk area designated by the RKI should - even if they have no signs of illness— avoid unnecessary contact with other persons.

The aim of quarantine measures is to interrupt chains of infection and to slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible. This should provide time to find out more about the virus and treatment options, identify risk groups, prepare protective measures, and maintain treatment capacity in the clinics.

Additional links with general information

Hotline city of Bielefeld

(Supplement dated 09.03.2020)

0521 51-2000: The hotline of the city of Bielefeld can be reached under this number from Friday, 6 March, for all questions concerning the corona virus. From Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., municipal employees* will provide general information and advice on prevention. Outside service hours, the service point of the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung (Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians) is available at 116117. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Hotline Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel

(Supplement dated 03.03.2020)

Concerned citizens should please follow the nationally established structures and contact their family doctor or the public health department by telephone. A "telephone hotline" has also been set up at Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (EvKB) for justified suspicions: Tel. 0521 772-77777. It is attainable from 8 to 16 o'clock.

Source: Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel (in German)