Dear students, dear staff,

As you have most likely heard in the media, the »Vierte Gesetz zum Schutz der Bevölkerung bei einer epidemischen Lage von nationaler Tragweite« was passed by the Bundestag on Wednesday and approved by the Bundesrat yesterday. The law came into effect today. The new law states that the pandemic regulations have been standardised on a national level based on coronavirus infection rates in municipalities and independent regions.

Bauhaus-Universität Weimar relies on the figures provided by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for the city of Weimar. According to the latest updates, the following regulations apply: If the incidence rate is between 100 and 165 new cases in 7 days per population of 100,000, alternating teaching days are mandatory. We are currently operating under the assumption that we have fulfilled the conditions of »Wechselunterrichts« (alternating teaching days) since the beginning of the semester.

According to the current regulations, however, if the incidence rate hits 165, in-person teaching must move to digital formats with a small number of exceptions (labs, exams, research). Today, the RKI reported an incidence rate of 156 in Weimar.

At the moment, it is not clear whether in-person teaching will in fact have to be suspended completely if the incidence rates continue to increase. In order to allow for the maximum level of planning certainty, we are currently hard at work on finding a clear and straightforward solution for regulations at the university. For that purpose we will be working closely with the state of Thuringia over the weekend to continue coordinating with the federal government and the other federal states on deciding how university activities are to proceed.

What will the situation look like from Monday onwards?

As of today, in-person teaching may still take place as planned next week. The previously established regulations for the 2021 summer semester continue to be in effect until the next mailing. However, it is important to note that no one is obliged to offer in-person teaching.

For the sake of controlling infection, we ask that employees continue to work from home (home office) when possible. In cases where this is not possible, we strongly advise to follow the rules of hygiene and physical distancing, as well as making use of the available testing options.

On Monday next week (26 April 2021) at 12:30 pm, the Corona Crisis Unit will discuss the further course of action and decide on teaching arrangements for the upcoming weeks. The aim is to establish a stable situation for everyone involved.

An update will be sent out next week with specific information on in-person teaching starting in May.

We appreciate your patience and understanding in this unpredictable situation and wish you all a pleasant and relaxing weekend!

On behalf of the entire Board of Governance.

Sincerely yours,

Winfried Speitkamp