Dear colleagues,
dear students,
Just days before Christmas, measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Germany had to be tightened - the whole country went back into a hard lockdown yesterday. The Presidential Board and the emergency committee of LUH have therefore again reviewed the regulations and measures in place at our university and made a few adjustments. Generally speaking, we were already well positioned before, for example, thanks to our general hygiene measures. In this context, I would like to express my gratitude to all teaching staff as well as to all researchers, administrative staff and students, who are making an effort to implement our regulations safely and adequately at any time.
Already at the beginning of November we decided to return to online learning again. This will stay in effect. Face-to-face sessions are only permissible in cases where online teaching could potentially lead to an extension of the duration of studies. Specifically, this affects practical laboratory courses, practical sessions and theses. Further details can be found in the applicable hygiene measures, and I call upon everyone involved to take the necessary precautions.
We have already introduced special hygiene measures for conducting examinations, which have been approved by the local health authority. Since we have great confidence in the quality of our processes and their implementation by the faculties, those regulations remain unchanged for now. Nevertheless, the Senate and the Presidential Board are asking the faculties to continue to modify examination regulations for the benefit of the students in light of the coronavirus pandemic, which is still permissible until 31 March 2021.
We will closely observe the development of the situation and make further adjustments in mid-January if necessary.
The requirement to wear a face mask or covering has been expanded. As of now, it applies not only to people entering LUH buildings, but also to anyone moving around the university''s outdoor areas or standing in front of building entrances. This is particularly important in enclosed areas, such as Conti-Campus or Campus Maschinenbau in Garbsen, where people are likely to gather. In case you are wondering: there is no map detailing the perimeter of the outdoor areas. Additional signs will soon be put up in enclosed areas of all LUH locations. With this measure, we aim to ensure the safety of all members of staff and students at LUH. At the same time it requires each and everyone of us to demonstrate solidarity and consideration. Therefore, please also wear a face mask or covering when moving around the outdoor areas of the individual university locations and make sure to keep the minimum distance of 1.5 metres to others!
Studentenwerk Hannover (Student Services Organisation Hannover) already closed its cafeterias on 14 December. TIB - Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library will stay open. Unfortunately however, further restrictions needed to be imposed. That includes the number of study areas being reduced over Christmas and New Year. For further information, please refer to the TIB website.
You can find an overview of all measures taken by LUH on our FAQ website - please make sure to check for new developments regularly.
Thank you for your solidarity and your vigilance!
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Volker Epping
President
